Orion's Story
by Hyena Cub
Summary: The violent backstory of one of my oft-used originial characters. (R rating for excessive violence and rough swearing)
1. Chapter 1

Orion's Story

This is Orion's background story, that leads into the various stories and roleplays that he is in.   
(Note: This font color is the color of Plundaar's sky) 

1 

"Mutt!" 

"I am not!" 

"Are too!" The second boy threw a handful of sand at the little cat. 

Orion's face was twisted in an expression of childish anger and embarrassment as he wiped the sand form his face and spit it from his mouth. "You shut up, you're not any better!" 

"My daddy says we are," a little girl said. "You're a mutt, you don't even have a clan!" 

The other cubs jeering at him was too much, and the little mixed breed Thunderian, tears in his eyes, struck out with his claws at the bigger of the boys, the one that had started it. There were five or so kids ringed around Orion, making fun of him. It wasn't his fault he had a lot of breeds in him! 

The older boy recoiled, but he had not been fast enough for the quick little one, and got a face full of   
claw. He yelped as three lines of blood appeared across his face, then growled. He jumped at the younger boy. 

The others jumped in the fight, defending their friend, and making a very unfair fight of five against   
one. Little Orion was getting hurt. Kids can be cruel., and in the city where he lived, it was worse. The area   
was full of high-ranking clans and families, with narrow minds and no sense of equality. And the little hooligans liked to hurt. 

Orion was four, and the only other one his age was the smallest of the boys, still bigger than Orion. The   
others were all older and bigger including the girl, a young lioness. Orion was small for his age, having many   
smaller breeds of cat in him. 

Fortunately, there was an adult nearby to see the fight between the young cubs. The adult, a cheetah,   
was more than fast enough to get them all separated and kept that way while he glared at them; he glared mostly at Orion. "What's the idea, mutt?" he demanded. "You causing trouble with these kids?" 

Orion looked at him, hurt. He'd been clawed a few times, and his nose and lip bled. He was a tough   
little one, but five against one was too much. "No!" he protested. "I didn't even say anything and they came   
and started making fun of me!" 

"What were you doing in this area?" the cheetah demanded, as the other children smirked at the young   
cub. 

"I live here! I was going to the store!" 

"Don't lie to me, cub!" The cheetah shook him a little as he held the nude cub by the scruff of the neck.   
Few Thunderians wore clothing unless it was cold, and there was not a cub alive who wanted to be all covered   
with cloth unless they had to. 

"I-I-I'm not!" Orion protested, his eyes stinging with tears unjust accusation. "I live up the street and I   
can prove it!" 

"Fine. We'll go there and we'll just see what your parents think of you starting fights with good boys   
and girls." The cheetah began dragging the boy up the street, the little ones following behind, smug looks on   
their faces. They were allowed to get away with mostly anything they wanted to, and they knew it. 

As they approached a comfortable sized house that was actually one of the smaller ones of the area,   
Orion claimed it to be his. The irate cheetah knocked on the door and thrust Orion out towards the man that   
answered it. "Is this yours?" he demanded. 

The man that was Orion's father looked mildly at the cheetah. "He is my son, and if it was you that has   
hurt him, prepare for a fight of your own. Please release him." He was a mixed breed as was his son, but he   
held a note of command in his voice. He had been in the military for a while in his youth, and despite his lack   
of a clan, he had risen to a high and respected position in the Thunderian navy. People even said that had he   
not been injured, he would have had a chance at becoming a ThunderCat. He had trained for it. But an injury   
had taken him from the military for too long, and in that time he had found a mate...and the dream of becoming   
a ThunderCat was replaced by his son, which he would not have traded for all the power on Thundera. 

The cheetah blinked, taken aback at being spoken to in that manner by a half breed...no even more than   
half, he had far more breeds in him than only two. He was about to snarl a reply when he recognized who it   
was. He may have been a mutt, but he was still well respected in the navy, and had many friends still there. 

"Captain," he said, dropping little Orion rudely on the ground. The boy picked himself up and slunk behind his   
father. The man put an arm around him. "I would suggest you keep your...cub...away from these good children. He was picking a fight with them and causing trouble near my store." 

Orion's father, a kind man named Bowan, did not lose his temper. Instead he said reasonably, "How   
so?" 

"I just told you he was starting fights with these kids!" 

Bowan knew what had likely happened. He knew it all too well. "Ah, then you saw the boy walk up to   
these children as they were minding their own business and start shoving them around, did you?" 

The cheetah sputtered. He was narrow-minded, but he was honest and intelligent. He would not lie. 

The cubs however had no such objections. "Yeah! That's what he did!" a boy accused. 

"I did not!" Orion protested. His father squeezed his shoulder and he scowled, but quieted. 

"I saw them fighting, and your son is a troublemaker. I assumed-" 

"You assumed my four year old cub, a mixed breed, started the fight because there is no way that a   
purebred would ever do such a thing, is that right?" Bowan interrupted in a clear, angry voice. "And even had   
he not started it, he deserved what he got right? Even if he did start it, which I highly doubt, those older   
children had no business beating up on a small four year old cub! They should have come and told me, and I would have disciplined him accordingly. But as it is, I do not believe you, sir. My son does not lie, and if he says he did not start it, he did not. Now please be gone from my property." 

The cheetah glared for a moment, then sighed. He knew that the mixed cat was probably right, but he   
still thought the mutt child had no business being in town. "All right, kids, you heard him. Off." 

"But he's just a-" the little girl started, but the cheetah cut her off. 

"You want to argue with him? He was a commander in the navy, and well respected. He could tie you   
in a knot and roll you down the street. You want to tell him what he is?" Orion's father turned his stern gaze to   
the little girl, and she stared at her toes. She shook her head, and she and the other cubs slunk off. Bowan closed the door. 

Once the door was locked, Bowan picked his son up and hugged him. "You know that I am always   
behind you, son," he said. "Let's get you fixed up."   
The cub only nodded as his father carried him to the bathroom, where the medkit was. 

"Did you start the fight?" his father asked him. Orion, his father, and his mother were sitting at the   
dinner table. 

The cub shrugged and looked down at his plate. "Kind of...but not really." 

While most other parents would have punished him for back talk, Bowan knew this was not the case. 

Orion was simply telling him the best way he knew how. "Tell me more, Orion," he said kindly.   
Orion sniffed, trying not to cry. At that very young age, he had seen more humiliation than any child   
should. And it hurt. "W-well, I hit first, I used my claws..." He paused to sniff and wipe his eyes. "But they   
were all around me and kept calling me mutt, and calling me names and saying I wasn't as good as them, and   
throwing sand at me, and wouldn't leave me alone! Cheetrii saw me first and he laughed and said 'There's the   
mutt!' and they all laughed and started making fun of me!" 

Orion's father said nothing, only stood and picked his son up, right at the dinner table. He embraced the   
boy. "I understand, little one," he said quietly, as his mate looked on in approval. "Your pride was hurt. I   
understand that very much. But you know better than that. You know that what kind of cat you are has nothing   
to do with what's in here." He gently poked the child's chest, where his heart would be. 

"I-I tried not to get mad and ignore them like you say, but I couldn't and I just did it and didn't even   
think when I was!" 

"I know. And I am proud you tried. Next time I want you to remember your worth, and try even harder   
to keep your temper, all right? They don't know any differently, and unfortunately many grown-ups here agree   
with them. They don't understand true worth." Bowan sometimes wished he had made it to the ThunderCat   
ranks before having his son. The ThunderCats understood that type of thing; at least most of them did. They   
would have accepted him and his child as equals. "I know you can do it, Orion. Just remember your own   
worth, and your own honor, and pay them no mind." He put a hand under his son's chin and lifted it. "Keep   
your head up. Never be ashamed of yourself for what you are on the outside, because it is no better or worse   
than anyone else." 

Orion had looked at his father then and thought that he would never love anyone more than he loved his   
father. His wisdom, and love, and kindness were more than he had even seen in his young life. He knew who   
the navy was, and he knew who the ThunderCats were, but to him, there was no greater hero than his father. He   
hugged him tight. "Okay, Papa," he said, not ashamed to cry into his tunic. "I will." 

Jaguarin as a cub (a bit too old in this picture, maybe 8 or so)   
Jaguarin 

Chapter 2 

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	2. Chapter 2

2 

Orion did remember what his father had said that night, he never forgot. Many children forgot words at that   
young an age, and for the most part, Orion was no different. But he had felt those words in his heart, and so   
never forgot them, not for his whole life. But he did not once since throw the first punch. He only fought when   
he had to, and even the other adults of the town had to admit after a while that the boy was no troublemaker. 

Orion spent much of his time with his best friend, a little cub named Jaguarin. Jaguarin was Orion's   
age, four, and didn't care that the little mixed cat was not of oure breed. "You really tried to fight with   
five other cubs?" he asked incredulously. 

"Well...I didn't mean to. But they made me so mad! They kept making fun of me and I didn't even do   
anything to them." 

Jaguarin looked at him sympathetically. "I know it. They don't make fun of me a lot but I see them   
make fun of you all the time. It's not fair! It's not your fault. 'Sides, nothing's wrong with being a lot of   
different cats. I think it's neat. I just have spots. You have spots and stripes." He paused to think. "They're   
'strops!'" 

Orion giggled. "Or spipes'!" 

Jaguarin grinned. "Yep! You want to go play on the play yard?" 

Orion nodded, an the two little cubs took off. 

Not long after that incident, Thundera and Plundaar, a neighboring planet of Mutants, had gone to war.   
King Claudus had avoided it for as long as he could, but the aggressive, more feral Mutants had gone too far.   
They had attacked a Thunderian embassy, thus declaring unofficial war, and so they began to fight. Orion and   
his family saw little of it in the smaller town they lived in, as they were miles from the main city of Felidon,   
where most of the fighting took place. The larger towns were seeing some fighting, strafing, and the like, and   
being a military man, Bowan of course kept up to date, and was ready to go in to fight if they needed him. They   
may have, had he gotten the chance. 

It was a surprise to everyone when the Mutant armies began attacking the smaller towns, and taking   
prisoners. It seemed that their objective was not only to fight in the battles, to destroy their enemy, but to take   
prisoners from the planet as well, as POWs, or as hostages. But when the citizens, the mates and children of the   
soldiers were in trouble, it made them easier to fight, not to mention providing good cheap labor. The   
Thunderians did not quite know why, and the ThunderCats and the warriors and the armies were   
not ready for it. 

One day, not long after his fifth birthday, Orion woke to the sounds of screaming outside his window. A   
Thunderian female, nude from sleeping, was being chased by a Mutant soldier. As the horrified boy watched,   
the soldier fired at her, and she dropped, unconscious. Although the boy did not understand at his age, the look   
on the simian soldier's face left little doubt as to what his intentions were. Mutant soldiers wore little in the way of clothing, but even they did not go nude, and their eye was caught by the attractive bodies of the Thunderians that did. 

As the cub looked around, he saw smoke a few blocks over, and hear more cries and weapons fire. 

Frightened, the child ran form his room to find his parents hastily packing two large duffel bags with some   
supplies and a few very personal belongings. "Pack a bag with what you want to take with you, son," his father   
said. "We must evacuate. They are trying to move people out now, but...just go pack, little one., One bag is   
what we are allowed. We might not get back for a long time." He did not tell his son that one out of every three that attempted takeoffs were being intercepted. 

Shaking in fear, the little boy ran back to his room and brought out a pack he used for carrying   
schoolbooks for his pre-school classes. He put his blanket, his favorite stuffed toy, a book, and his favorite   
picture that he had on his night stand in it: a picture of all of them wrestling in the grass at a family gathering. 

His uncle had taken the picture only a few months ago. 

He chose a few other toys and books, all that would fit, and ran back out. His father was just coming   
back for him. "Come on, little one," he said tersely, and lifting him up, running for the back door. 

Outside, a jackal fighter cackled gleefully. "Reptilyle!" he said with a grin, and pointed to the house   
where even now a small family of three escaped from the back door. "Think there's anyone in that one? I haven't seen anyone!" 

The Reptilian laughed and shrugged his shoulders. "Let's find out!" he said with a wicked grin, and   
searched through his hip-pack for the matches he used when he smoked his plant-pipe. With a malicious look,   
he said., "Grab something flammable from the supply shuttle!" The jackal ran for the nearby little ship and   
rummaged around until he found a bottle of Plundaarian whiskey and brought it back, opening it and throwing   
it on the attractive wooden house. Reptilyle set it afire. 

The two young Mutant fighter did not think it would catch at first, but with a few extra shots elsewhere   
with the blaster weapons they both carried, the house finally did begin to burn. Both laughing nastily, they watched the flames consume the family's home. 

Orion saw it first. With wide horrified eyes, he looked back over his father's shoulder and pointed. 

"Look!" the child shrieked. "Our house, they set it on fire, it's on fire!" 

Both parents looked, and his mother gasped as all that belonged to them burned, but the military Bowan   
only growled low in his throat and turned his son around so that he was not looking. "Shhh, don't look, son. I   
know, I know." He comforted the frightened child as he ran for the town's spaceport, not slowed down at all by   
his small son's weight. 

Orion did not look up again. He kept his face buried in his father's shoulder,. not wanting to see the   
things he heard and smelled. He smelled smoke, and weapons fire, and fear...and he smelled blood. That was   
the worst smell he had ever smelled. It was not that his sensitive feline nose had not encountered it before with   
cuts or scrapes, but now there was so much of it; no one should ever smell that much blood at once Ever. 

The sprint through the town was a nightmare of screams, firing, and crashes. It was a cacophony of   
shrieks, of laughter from the raiders, of fights and curses, and shouts of all non-family warriors to fight. Orion   
would remember the horror of that day as long as he remembered his father's loving words almost a year before. 

"Hey! Hey, check it out!" came the raucous, malicious cry. A hyena warrior had spotted Bowan and his   
family escaping through the smoke of some old-fashioned laser cannon fire. "Halt, Thunderians!" he   
commanded, running after him. He considered just stunning them to take them prisoner, but decided he wanted   
to take them down with his bare hands. It was his way. 

Bowan's eyes widened in concern for his son and his mate, even as the woman increased her sped. he   
did so as well as Orion looked up at the voice. "Go away!" he shrieked fearfully, clutching his father's tunic as   
he ran faster, the boy's backpack banging against his back the whole way. Orion did not even feel it, had in fact   
forgotten his little backpack in his fear. 

"Oh, a little hellfire!" the hyena exclaimed with a laugh, even as the boy's father shushed him. Five   
others had joined him, another hyena, a jackal, and two Reptilians. "I said stop, you mangy feline shits! He   
fired off a few blasts at their feet, making the mother gasp in both anger and alarm, but she did not stop. 

Bowan didn't grace them with a response. He was scared to death of what they would do when they   
caught up to him and his son and mate, and did not waste his breath on replying. 

But it did no good. Even as fit as he was, Bowan had run a long way already, and soon the five mutants   
had surrounded them. He stopped in his tracks, and with some difficulty, set his sobbing cub on the ground,   
where the child clutched the bottom of his father's tunic. Bowan drew his sword. "Back away, Mutants!" he   
said. "I've no fight with you, we are only leaving in peace!" 

The hyena that had seen them snickered, drawing a stun weapon, and Bowan cursed himself for not   
bringing his. He'd already had his blade sheathed, and had not thought about the blaster lying in its holster in   
his bedroom. "Forget it, cat, we don't want you to leave! Surrender, mutt!" 

"I have a small child, he is only five, let him be." Even Orion could see that his father was frightened   
and tense, even though his voice was calm. His blade never wavered. 

"Hey, I know you," the jackal said. "You were a commander in the navy!" He snarled. "Get them!" 

Desperately, Bowan shoved Orion away and told him to run, and swung his sword at the hyena as he   
charged. He saw his wife had turned also to fight, but little Orion had shook his head, refusing to leave his   
father's side. Partly it was fear and reluctance to leave whom he felt safe with, but the young cub did not want to abandon him. Bowan felt anger, because he wanted his son to be safe, but he also felt a deep pride. And even in the grim situation, he smiled down at him. 

But then he could not smile, because all five Mutants were upon them. His wife was not a warrior, and   
although she fought with all the natural weapons she had, she was subdued, pinned to the ground, still fighting   
and cursing. Then he heard his son scream in indignation as one of the reptiles grabbed hi from behind. He turned around and slashed at him with his sharp little claws, and the reptile growled and grabbed his hands. 

"LET HIM GO!" Bowan roared, and started for the Mutant, but was hit from behind by something and   
sent sprawling in the dirt. He turned around to see he had been hit by a stun blast, even as the reptile was carrying his son away. 

"PAPA!" the child shrieked. "Let me go, let me go! Papa, help!" the child screamed. He was still fighting the reptile, but the small cub was no match for the strong Mutant. 

"Orion!! Let him go, you Mutant filth!" Bowan stood to race after them once more, but the hyena hit   
him again with the gun, waiting each time for him to get up before hitting him again. He was playing cat and   
mouse, as it were. "Orion!" 

But soon they tired of the game. Bowan saw his wife was tightly tied, her hands behind her, and only   
one was needed to pin her now. The other three tackled him, and he fought, even as they took his blade, but   
they were three, and he was one. He took a hard shot to the head and was dazed long enough for them to truss   
him up as they had his wife. He shook his head, looking desperately for his son, whose terrified cries he could   
still hear, and fought once more, screaming for them to let the cub go. But they paid no heed, and only dragged   
the couple to a ship different than the one the cub had been taken to. They were being taken to a prison camp. 

Orion would be taken to a completely different place. 

Chapter 3 

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	3. Chapter 3

3 

The terrified cub was carried to a separate transport than the one his parents had been taken to. He was   
thrown in a room that was filled with about thirty other Thunderians, adults, kids, but he was the youngest. 

Sobbing hysterically, he landed on his hands and knees on the hard metal floor as the door was shut. 

"Look how young he is." one of the females in the little room said. She sighed and went to him, gently   
grasping his shoulder. "Shhh," she said when he jerked away from her in fear. "It's all right, little one. Come   
here." She pulled the child into her lap and held him as he sobbed into her clothing. 

They all heard the reptile that had brought the child there yell, "This is the last of them! Let's lift off!"   
And then they ship shifted as they did just that, headed for the dull green brown planet they called Plundaar. 

"Wh-where are we going?" Orion sobbed. "I want my papa, my mommy, I want to go back home!" 

The Thunderian woman could only rock him and speak softly to him. She was a single woman herself,   
but liked kids and would have liked to have some of her own. But where they were going she did not think that   
she would get the opportunity. 

She knew where they were going well enough. Captured children were not sent to prison camps, so that   
was not the group they were in. The warriors and most the adults were sent there, and often executed. She did   
not want to be the one to tell this mixed breed child that he likely would not ever see his parents again. Or Thundera, for that matter. And so she only comforted him, and did not answer. 

The journey to Plundaar took nearly three days. The prisoners were fed, usually a porridge type mush   
fed in tin bowls. During those days they were not let out of the little room they were packed into except to use the bathroom, and between the moments of fear when the door was opened, there was boredom. 

The seven or so cubs that had been captured got restless, when they were not crying for their parents, or just crying. The adults tried to keep them happy, but every time they began a story, or started a game, one of the Mutants would open the door to serve the scant meal, or for a bathroom break, and the frightened children would scatter to the edges of the room. 

But finally the journey ended. The adults had been stripped of weapons, and some of clothing, and a   
dozen well armed Mutants soldiers greeted them on the last day when they opened the doors. It was time to   
split the prisoners up. They would be taken to slave camps, some government owned, and the slave labor used   
for the planet and the military, and some privately owned, but who were strongly allied with the king and his   
government. 

Orion howled indignantly as the woman he had mostly stayed with was taken at the first stop, along with   
five or so of the others, two children included. He was held back none too gently by one of the soldiers, and   
shoved back in the room for the next stop. 

Nearly a dozen stops were made, until all that remained were the frightened young mixed cat and two   
adults. They were all forced form the room, and their hands bound behind them. Orion bit his lip hard to keep   
from crying as he was shoved along. It did not work well, as the young cub was in tears by the time they reached the boarding ramp. It led into a large compound, whose west fence was visible several yards away. The others were far enough away to not be seen. 

The sky was a dull orange, not a bright glowing orange like Thundera's sky in the morning and early   
afternoon, but a dark, dull orange, like the color of a grappa seed that had gone bad. The air was hot and arid,   
but even with that hot wind blowing in his face, little Orion shivered. He did not know what the word desolate   
meant, but despite the buildings around, and the people he saw here and there, that's what it was. 

The three cats were forced into one of the buildings in the middle One was a large manor, the other a   
flat, square building, where the owner of the compound conducted his business, which included seeing new recruits, so to speak. 

Felines! The jet black jackal was pleased. Dressed in slaver's clothing; black sleeveless vest, shoulder   
armor, spiked belt and wristbands; the unusually big and muscular jackal looked over the first of the adults with   
an unpleasant smile. He nodded his approval, and he was taken form the rear door to be chained, and sent   
either to work or training, whichever the new slave's behavior indicated. As usual, the prisoner resisted and   
was sent into training. 

The next, an adult female, got a close looking over, the jackal leering at her slim, nude body. She got a   
full feel up, for which he received a sharp kick in the thigh. It would have been his groin he he not quickly   
turned to take it where it would hurt less. He growled low in his throat, but smiled, instructing the waiting   
guards for her to be taken to a cell where the male had gone. She would require training as well, although hers   
would be for a somewhat different purpose. 

Finally came Orion. The trembling child was shoved into the office room, where the jackal's eyes   
looked appraisingly over him "A child." As the soldier held the cub tightly, the jackal approached and took a   
hold of his face, forcing him to look up at him. He examined his health, his strength, his pelt, and generally appraised the boy's worth as a slave. He had a number of child slaves, and although they could not work as long as the adults, they were cheap and could more easily get into small spaces like mines and vents for mining and cleaning. 

"G-g-get away from me!" the boy cried fearfully, shaking his head as the jackal grasped it. He snapped   
at him with his teeth. 

The jackal had not expected a child to strike at him, especially being bound, and the boy's sharp little   
feline teeth latched onto his hand. He growled and ripped his hand from the boy's mouth, then backhanded him   
hard across the face. Orion screeched in pained surprise then started to cry. 

The jackal was done with his examination, and glared at the little cat. "Take him to a cell," he told his   
guards. He would keep this one for the sole purpose of breaking the little hellcat. He was a warrior, and to be   
hurt by a child, that was a great insult. And in front of his guards, no less. Yes, he had a personal issue with this brat. 

Chapter 4 

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	4. Chapter 4

4 

Orion was shoved unceremoniously into a three foot by three foot stone and metal cell, and the barred   
door was shut with a loud clang in the hallway. 

Crying in fright, Orion curled up in the corner. He had sucked his thumb as an infant, and had   
abandoned the habit when still a toddler. But now he did it as he huddled in the tiny cell, whimpering softly for   
his parents. 

A few hours later, the door was opened. Orion looked fearfully up at the reptile that had opened it, but   
then heard a voice that he actually recognized. The black jackal from before had approached and told the reptile something in a strange language, and the reptile left. 

"So, little feline brat," the jackal said in Basic, a language Orion understood. "You are a brave little   
filth, aren't you?" 

"I wanna go home!" 

"Is that so?" the jackal said with a cruel grin. "Well forget it. You'll never see your home again. This   
is your home now, so get used to it, you worthless little shit." 

Orion was partly shocked that the jackal had said the s-word to him, and partly scared that he was telling the   
truth, and partly angry that he seemed so happy about it. The child got to his feet shaking in fear, but clenching   
his fists in anger. "You-you're a creep! You're lying!" he accused. "My papa'll find me, he'll rescue me!" 

The slaver looked at the child mildly as he stood defiantly, then stepped forward and smacked him across the face hard enough to send him sprawling back into the corner. The child screamed, shocked, then started to cry. The jackal grabbed him by the arms and hauled him to his feet. "Lesson one, brat. Never, ever call me a name." 

"Let me go!" Orion shrieked. 

Oh, yes, this one had spirit. The jackal shook him hard and slammed him against the wall. "Lesson   
two: never argue with me. I am your master now, cub-slave, and you'd best start acting towards me as such." 

Orion was crying too hard to speak, never having been treated like this by an adult. Only the kids he   
had had such a problem with had ever been this mean, but they did not hurt him as much. This was a big adult. 

"Wh-wh-who are you?!" the child stammered. 

"Me? My name doesn't matter, whelp. You will call me 'master'." He smacked the child a third time. "Lesson three: do not speak to me unless I speak to you first." 

Orion put a hand to his cheek, which hurt more than he had ever hurt in his young life, and only wanted   
to be with his mother and father, and safe in their house. That's all he wanted, more than anything. 

The jackal left the tiny cell for a moment, closing the door firmly, and came back with a few different   
sized of manacles. As Orion shrank back, shaking his head in protest, the jackal grabbed his arm and yanked   
him forward. "Don't you ever move away from me," he growled, and tried the boy's wrist in a few of the   
manacles before finding one that would fit him and not slip off. He locked both the metal bands on his wrists. 

When he let go of him, Orion huddled back in the corner once more. 

The jackal gave him a disgusted look and threw a small pair of knee-length breeches at him. "Put them   
on," he said. "My visitors and guests don't want to see your repulsive naked cat body." 

"I-I don't wanna wear clothes!" the cub said in protest, even as he stared fearfully up at the jackal. 

The slaver narrowed his dark eyes. "I see you will learn your first real lesson being here not even full   
hour yet," he said in a low tone. He grabbed the boy by the chain between the manacles holding him up to stand, but far enough away so that his kicking feet could not reach him. 

"Let me go! lemmego, lemmego, lemmego!" Orion shrieked. But the jackal was strong, and his struggles did nothing but hurt his wrists. 

The slaver dragged the cub from the tiny holding cell, down the hallway, and into another part of the   
building The large room he dragged the boy into was intimidating indeed, as this was where discipline for his   
slaves was carried out. The main discipline chamber. There were places outside in the work yards and some of   
the buildings for that purpose but this was the main area, where the holding cells were. It gave those that were   
awaiting training or assignment to some job or another something to think about if the jackal had to "correct" a   
slave within their earshot. 

Now he dragged the Thunderian cub to a wall that had nothing but a series of rings on it, in varying   
heights, and clipped the chain between his manacles to one of them, stretching the boy, making him stand on   
his toes. "Ow!" he whined. 

"Quiet, wretch," the jackal commanded, and went to a wall that had shelves and hooks that bore a   
number of "discipline" devices. As he did not want to injure the cub, he did not use a whip on him yet. He   
would wait and see how tough he was. But he did take a stiff riding crop from that wall and walk over to the   
boy. He grabbed him roughly by the mane. "Listen to me boy, and listen to me good You will start cooperating with me, or you will wish you were dead. This is for defying me." He stepped back from the crying child, brought the crop back, and swung it hard at the cub's side. 

Orion's eyes flew open and he screamed as the crop made a "whooshing" sound right before connecting   
with his side. Already the skin began to welt up as he started sobbing. The jackal struck him again, making   
little Orion cry harder. He was not breaking the skin, but a welt like that was enough for a child to hurt very   
much. Combined with the fear and the jackal's intimidation factor, it would be quite enough for a start to the   
boy's training. 

The Thunderian cub received ten lashes, five on each side, with the crop. That was enough for the first   
day. After each time he struck the boy, he told him exactly why he was being punished. 

When he was finished, the jackal released his hands, and Orion immediately collapsed to the floor, crying. The jackal threw the breeches at him again. "Put them on." 

Orion didn't move, only kept crying, his chest heaving as he sobbed. He did not refuse, but he did not   
obey, either. That was a normal reaction. The jackal kicked him lightly in the leg, and Orion looked up   
fearfully. "Put them on," he repeated, and when the boy only kept crying, he took the crop from the wall again   
and threateningly approached. 

The cub cried out, alarmed, and scooted backwards on his rear. Hitching in his chest from having cried   
too hard, too long, he slid the breeches on. They were a bit big but stayed. 

"Good." The jackal snapped the leg irons on the boy's ankles, he too scared to do anything about it, and   
hauled the boy to his feet. Orion cried out again, this time in pain. "You will learn to obey me." 

Orion was brought back to the little cell and locked in, and left. He crawled into the corner and curled   
up tight, crying anew as he lay on his side, the welts bringing a fresh sting to his already fear and pain-laden   
mind. he had been left for the night, but it was a long, long time before the exhausted cub could sleep, still whimpering for his mother or father as he did. 

Chapter 5 

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	5. Chapter 5

5 

Orion was having a terrible dream. This dream was so terrible, it would make him wake up, screaming,   
and his parents would rush in, his mother would pick him up into her lap and rock him and tell him it was all   
right. She would smooth his mane back, and maybe his father would lay his strong hand on the boy's head and   
assure him it was only a dream, that everything was okay... 

The child opened his eyes. They widened in horror as they looked at the bleak gray walls, the iron bars,   
the cell across the narrow hallway where a Reptilian Mutant three times Orion's age slept fitfully. He began   
to cry as he realized he had not been dreaming. The cub's own exhausted sleep had been uninterrupted by visions. 

He felt the effects of the previous night's ordeal as he backed into the corner, having strayed from it in   
his sleep. But he did not stay there long, as he heard footsteps coming down the hall. A few doors were   
opened, and Orion heard shouts, the sound of someone being punched, a few curses, sometimes he heard only   
shuffling footsteps, or low growls. Even the young child realized that that was hearing some prisoners   
cooperating, and some fighting. 

Finally the Mutants reached his cell, and the jackal he had already begun to fear greatly was standing   
there looking coldly into the cell. But there was the hint of an unpleasant smile on his feral muzzle. He nodded   
to the two others with him, both brown-hued jackals, and one opened the door while the other dragged the child   
out. Orion kicked one in the shin and he yelped indignantly, holding the chained child away from him. 

The jackal actually laughed out loud. "You show more spirit for the four years old you are than most of   
my adult prisoners," he said. 

"I-I'm not four, I'm five," the cub protested. 

The jackal smiled in a mockery of good manners. "My mistake. Then I can be rougher on you What's   
your name, cub?" 

Orion scowled. "I'm not telling you." 

The jackal smacked his already bruised face. The child cried out. "I asked your name," he repeated,   
narrowing his eyes threateningly at the boy as he raised his hand again. 

Despite himself, Orion cringed away and grimaced, expecting to be hit. He was. 

The jackal shook his head. "I am surprised by your endurance, little feline," the jackal said almost   
sadly. "But I have had simians that learn faster than you. Tell me your name now." The hand came up once   
more. 

Crying once more, Orion stammered his name, hating the jackal for making him do so. He bit his lip,   
almost thinking he would be struck anyway, but the Mutant lowered his hand. 

"That's better. Orion? Hardly a Plundaarian name, that's for sure. It should be easy to remember." He   
smiled mildly at the small boy, and Orion thought he did not want to be remembered. Not by this jackal. 

"Are we taking this one down too, Blackmoor?" the guard holding Orion asked. 

Blackmoor, so that was his name. Blackmoor nodded. "Yes. Take him for the full week. Just make   
sure they keep in mind his age and his size. I don't want him injured." He considered a moment. "At least   
not too badly." 

These words frightened Orion very much as he stood, rigid with fear, in the smaller jackal's grip. The   
guard nodded. "Understood, boss," he said, and steered Orion down the hallway. Letting go of his arms, he   
shoved him in the direction of the door he had come through the night before. Orion shook his head and   
immediately backed up, intending to crawl back into the cell and curl up in the corner. The guard grabbed him. 

"Boy, you sure are a pain in the ass, brat," he said, and dragged him out the door. 

Blackmoor unemotionally went about getting the other two that had arrived the day before "situated". 

The boy would either begin to submit, or he would be kept in training until he did., or until it killed him. New   
arrivals always went through a week, usually no more than that, of harsh "training", which amounted to beating   
them into submission. It entailed pounding rules into their heads, repeating over and over what was expected of   
them, what was not expected of them, how they were to act and not act, what would happen if they broke   
these rules, what to expect if they tried to escape. Depending on the prisoners' reactions to each of these   
statements, they would receive positive or negative reinforcement. The positive was usually a verbal   
acknowledgment that they were doing as they were told, the negative much more intense, more so depending on   
how the subject reacted. 

Although Blackmoor, when he was not busy, would probably conduct some of the little Thunderian's   
training himself. He was Thunderian, first of all, a race Blackmoor hated, whom he considered lower than the   
lowest Mutant on Plundaar; and second of all, he had shown more spirit than many others in his place. Spirit   
and will made for unrest and fear. He did not want to fear that his slaves would rise up against him. And so he   
crushed will and broke spirit. Third...the little bastard had bitten him. He had not been on guard with the young boy, and as he had caught him by surprise in front of his guards, he had a personal grudge against the young feline. And woe to he who incited Blackmoor's anger. 

Little Orion was dragged through the large work yard, where the boy saw people in chains, working, and   
mean looking Mutants watching them here and there. In this area, he could see no fences, but saw a tower a   
good distance away that had a guard in it, although it was too far away for the boy to see the man. The compound was vast, holding most of the facilities that made the products Blackmoor dealt in. 

He could see no felines yet. All were Mutants and a few were of races he had never seen before. Strange, smooth-skinned people that had the same shape as a Thunderian but only had fur on their heads. And they had little eyes. 

After a long walk, during which the jackal kept his iron grip on the cub's arms, they arrived at a   
medium-sized stone building, that looked drab, gray, desolate in the middle of the compound. His strong feline   
instincts, intensified with his young age, sent him a feeling of deep dread, and his stopped walking. The boy   
locked his knees, dug his toe claws into the dirt, and refused to move. When the jackal picked him up to sling   
him over his shoulder, Orion started fighting, kicking his chained legs, and striking the jackal with fists whose   
wrists bore manacles. He screamed to be let go. 

The jackal growled, and did just that. He shoved Orion over his shoulder, to land behind him. 

Orion yelped as he landed, his hands thrown forward to break his fall, and shook his head. But when he   
scrambled up to run, the jackal grabbed the chain between his hands, and viscously brought the boy's arms over   
his head, jerking back to bring them behind him. The boy screamed and kicked out at the Mutant, but now he   
easily avoided it, slinging Orion over his shoulder once more. 

"Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" He was luckily flexible enough, and the chain just long enough,   
for him to avoid injury, but it still had hurt, and he was very scared. Now with his hands behind him, and the   
jackal holding his feet down as he walked into the building with the cub over his shoulder, Orion was helpless. 

"Oops!" the jackal said, deliberately letting the boy's head strike the doorway as he walked in. 

"Owww!" Orion whined, as the heavy door slammed shut and sealed itself. Anyone could walk in, but   
to get out, the taskmaster's key was needed, and only one person in the building at a time had it. He was   
brought into a large central room that had a lot of different pieces of furniture, it looked like to Orion. There   
were chairs and tables and the like, but all of them had restraints on them: straps or metal bands. And the other   
furniture he could not identify, but looked horrifying. He closed his eyes. 

Around this large central room were eight metal doors and a small guards' station. The doors led to   
pitch black, soundproof rooms, and the station had a monitor/communications console, and some chairs for   
those who worked there to use. "Here's the last one," the jackal said, setting Orion down roughly and shoving   
him forward. 

The only person there that Orion could see, a large-statured simian Mutant, grabbed his arm and looked   
him over. then he nodded. "Understood, hoo hoo." Ignoring the boys protests, that were nothing he had not   
heard many times before, he shoved him into one of the cells. He locked him in and let the jackal out. He would be busy with the other two, and would get to the boy the next day. 

Orion was in darkness that not even his feline eyes could penetrate, and the cell was chilly. He felt   
around with his feet and found that it had only a metal rim around a hole that smelled like antiseptic; the toilet. 

He had to go but with his hands chained could not, so for now he lay on the floor and held it. He cried   
loudly, although in the little room no one heard him but him. Some time later, the boy slept again and dreamed   
of home. 

Chapter 6 

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	6. Chapter 6

6 

Orion was awakened, not by the sound of the door opening, not by the voice that ordered him to wake   
up, but to a sharp kick in the side. The boy had been sleeping heavily, and now yelped as his eyes flew open. 

He would get used to this kind of thing in time, but for now it was a shock, and the bound child stared up at the   
simian, unfocused. 

"I said wake up, hoo hoo!" the simian growled, hauling Orion to his feet by the scruff of his neck. 

When Orion shrank back, he shook the child hard and drew him back. "Don't move," he growled, and the   
frightened child obeyed. The simian took a key and unlocked the child's manacles and fetters, as he would not   
be wearing them. It would be one of the only times he would not. 

Orion rubbed his sore wrists as he was dragged out of the cell and brought to a chair. The mutant   
shoved him into the seat, almost too large for him as it was made for adults, and used the leather straps to strap   
him in. Orion was crying quietly again, his body stiff with fear. 

The simian said nothing at first, only looked at the boy. Then he brought out a metal medkit and gave   
the Thunderian child a full medical examination. He was testing him, looking to see how healthy he was, how   
strong he would be, and how tough. He looked for defects like hearing problems or bad eyesight, but the child   
was very healthy. He knew Blackmoor had been cautious disciplining him, but he did not have to be so. The   
boy would be able to take more severe punishment without it injuring him too much to work. He could not be   
punished as harshly as the adults, but nearly as much so as a human adult. Humans were pitifully weak, in the   
simian's experience. 

When the monkian Mutant was done, he walked around to face the boy again. "My name is Monkrion,   
and by the end of this week, you will hate me." He laughed. "It won't even take that long. However, you will   
never call me by my name, brat, you will call me sir anytime you speak to me. What's your name?" He knew   
his name...that was not the point of the question. 

Orion scowled and glared tearfully at the ground. A second later he screamed in mingled pain and   
surprise as his head snapped back from a blow to the face. Utterly shocked, he cast his eyes up to see what had   
hit him, and saw the simian had in his hand a thick leather strap. once he had gotten over the shock, Orion began to cry hard. 

"Quiet," the simian commanded in a low, but intense voice. When the child did not quiet, as he did not   
expect him to do, he smacked the boy in the back of the head. Orion yelped. "I said quiet," Monkrion repeated   
in the same firm, cold voice. He kept repeating the phrase, and smacking then child if he did not stay quiet. 

Orion's mind was feeling fear, panic, and he had begun to sob but the simian did not quit hitting him,   
and although he was not hitting him hard, it was giving him such a headache; his head was pounding as if   
someone had hit it with a hammer. "I CAN'T!" he shrieked in frustration, and had only been struck again for it. 

"Quiet, cub." 

Finally Orion had clenched his teeth, desperate not to let his sobs escape. He had tried not to cry before   
and not succeeded very well, but these circumstances made it impossible! his chest hitched violently as he struggled to stop sobbing, not wanting to be hit anymore, not wanting to be hurt again. 

"That's better," Monkrion said in a calm tone. He did not hit the boy again, although his noise level was   
not at the point he wanted it. He would work on it. It was enough for the first day. 

The Mutant waited until the   
boy's choked-sounding, restrained sobs calmed, and he only hitched in his chest. He waited until his breathing   
had slowed down, although tears still streamed from his eyes. "Now," he said again, tapping his other hand with the leather strap. "Let's begin again: tell me your name." 

Orion had not looked up once, but stared miserably at the ground when his eyes were not squeezed shut.   
Now he opened them but did not look up. He kept his teeth clenched, but again stammered his name, as he had   
to Blackmoor. 

"That's better," the simian said, patting the boy's head. The cub flinched form him, he was happy to   
see. He feared him. "See what happens when you do not obey? You get hurt. That wasn't so bad, telling me   
your name, now was it. How old are you?" 

"F-f-five." The boy spoke in a carefully controlled voice, terrified to yell, or even sound like he was   
yelling. 

"Good. You are Thunderian, what clan are you a part of?" 

Orion sniffed, thinking for the first time in a long time of the incident a year ago, where his lack of   
clan had gotten him into a fight. "I d-don't h-h-have one," he said, almost feeling ashamed as he did. 

"You're a mutt then. Even more worthless than the other Thunderians." He had said this on purpose, to   
see what the cub's reaction would be. 

Orion looked up, his expression hurt, and surprised. "I-I am not!" he protested. "I-I'm not a mutt,   
a-and-and—" 

WHAP! Monkrion had struck Orion again with the leather strap, making his scream. "You never contradict a taskmaster, wretch! And you never yell at one. Is that understood?" 

Orion had screamed again, but this time did not cringe away, he looked up at the simian, screaming now   
in his frustration, anger, and pain. "I'm not worthless!" he shrieked. He was thinking of his father,   
remembering as if it were only the previous night that he had picked his young son up, embraced him, and told   
him that his own worth was in his heart...to never forget it. "I'm not! I-I have WORTH! My papa says so!" 

Monkrion snarled, putting away the leather strap. The cub needed to be taught a harsher lesson, it   
seemed. "Your 'papa' is nothing but a worthless, feline filth," he spat, undoing the child's bonds and roughly   
grabbing his both wrists in one massive hand. "And you, listen to you, you're nothing but a squalling little   
piece of trash. He shook the cub hard at his protest, a repeat of what he had just screamed at him. "You are   
nothing here, Thunderian. Nothing. Here on Plundaar, your kind are hunted down in the streets and shot like   
rabid dogs. The highest Thunderian 'noble" is lower than the most wretched Mutant slave, brat. That puts you   
down with the beetles that live in the shit." 

Orion gaped at him as Monkrion finished releasing him from the chair. Never had anyone spoken to   
him like that; never had anyone said such awful things to the child. He was too shocked to say anything   
as the Mutant dragged him to the opposite wall, to a slightly hollowed out portion of the stone floor with a drain   
in the middle of it. The child stammered, trying to find something to say, but his mind had been given too much input, and he couldn't think right. it was too much. 

Monkrion tied the boy's hands tightly behind him with a length of rope, and turned on a faucet leading   
to a short hose, which he used one hand to guide into a large basin. His other meathook hand kept a firm grip   
on the scruff of the boy's neck. 

When the basin was full, Monkrion turned off the water, and shook the cub, forcing him to look up at   
him. "You will learn to obey. You will learn not to speak back. You NEVER yell at a taskmaster, slave! You   
never yell at ANY Mutant! You never argue with a Mutant! This is for talking back to me, boy." Dragging   
Orion forward, he forced him to his knees and shoved his head underwater. 

Orion held his breath as a reflex. even as he tried to fight. But the strong simian was not even moved   
the slightest bit by the small boy's struggles. Orion's mind began to panic, as it took only a moment to realize   
he would be held there. Was he going to kill him?! Don't kill me! the boy thought desperately. The water   
seeped into his nose, making him feel like he was drowning He had never been in the water much, as he did   
not know how to swim, and this was a new feeling for him; an awful sensation. 

Just as the poor child thought he could not hold his breath any more, Monkrion hauled his head up, the   
boy choking and crying at the same time. Orion gasped for breath. 

Monkrion had watched the boy's back, watched him trying to breathe. He was trained for this purpose;   
he knew what to look for. "This is for contradicting me," he growled. He thrust the boy's head under again. 

NO! Orion screamed silently in his head, and tried again to fight...but again could not. After an eternity,   
he was brought up again, only having time to gasp in one breath before he was shoved in again. 

When he was brought up, his struggles becoming weaker in his exhaustion, he was sobbing. "S-s-stop   
it, stop it, s-stop it, stop it..." he sobbed hysterically, his eyes closed, his fists clenched. 

Monkrion smiled nastily., This was the reaction he wanted. "Too bad, cub. You talked back to your   
betters. You talked back to a Mutant, cat." And he shoved him under again. 

This happened seven times before Monkrion hauled the sobbing boy to his feet, his breathing labored   
and desperate, his small chest heaving. The cub was soaked from head to toe, shaking violently, and sobbing   
hysterically. "Quiet. QUIET!" When the boy did not, he shrugged and dunked him one more time, eliciting a   
terrified shriek before he was forced under. When he brought him to his feet again and commanded him to be   
quiet, the boy had, as much as was physically possible. His teeth and hands were clenched, his eyes tightly   
closed as he shivered uncontrollably. his sobs came out muffled. "You're causing me hassle, little filth," he   
growled. Orion said nothing. "I don't think you will eat tonight, and will not sleep." 

Orion said nothing still, too busy concentrating on not making noise so he wouldn't get dunked again.   
That had been the most awful thing he had ever felt. He still panted for breath, feeling desperate to get air into   
his lungs. 

Monkrion nodded in approval and dragged the boy to a small metal stool bolted to the floor. He chained   
the boy's hands to two loops on the sides of it, his feet were strapped to two of the stool's legs, forcing him to   
sit on it half hunched over. Leaving him, he called on the radio for the one that would take over his shift while   
he slept, and a Reptilian Mutant swiftly arrived. Monkrion instructed him to strike the child on the back with   
the riding crop if he caught him beginning to fall asleep, or if the child lay his chest on his legs instead of sitting up   
in the hunched over position. 

The Reptilian nodded maliciously as Monkrion left the room to sleep. 

Orion had cried hard for a long time as he sat on the stool, but soon he began to calm down, only   
whimpering occasionally as his breathing returned to normal. Now he began again to feel the welts on his sides, and his swollen face where he had been struck so many times. 

The Reptilian did strike the boy, hard, any time he began to do either of the things Monkrion did not   
allow. It made the boy scream but kept him awake each time. The cub did not sleep that night. 

Monkrion dunking Orion   
Dunking 

Chapter 7 

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	7. Chapter 7

7 

"Morning, cub." Monkrion came back into the room after a ten hour sleep, during which Orion was not   
allowed to move. He had been struck several times during the night for trying to sleep, or lean over to rest. The   
boy turned his fearful eyes up to the simian. 

"Can I go?" the Reptillian asked. "I'm sick of watching the little bastard." 

"Yeah, go ahead, your shift's over." After letting the Reptillian out, Monkrion returned, sitting in a   
comfortable chair from the guard station and looking mildly at the boy. "Sleep well?" 

Sniffing, Orion shook his head. His eyes were red and swollen from crying, and his face hurt. "I-I'm   
h-hungry," he stammered, watching the simian and hoping he wouldn't hit him for saying it. 

Monkrion did not strike the cub, only considered. "You have done nothing to deserve food, slave. Maybe if you do well today you can have supper tonight." The child had not spoken out against him, or yelled, so he reached forward and let the boy off the stool. Orion immediately stumbled away from him, backing against the wall. "Come here, brat," Monkrion commanded. 

Orion fearfully shook his head. 

Without changing his expression, Monkrion lunged forward and backhanded the cub. Orion screeched   
and staggered, almost falling down. Returning to his chair, Monkrion looked coldly at him and repeated his   
command. "Come here." 

Trembling, Orion took a few reluctant steps forward, approaching the simian with trepidation, shying   
away even as he walked forward. 

"Good boy." Monkrion patted his head once, making the boy flinch, as he was expecting to be hit. He   
relaxed the smallest bit. He led the boy again to the chair, and asked, "Do you want to be strapped in?" Orion   
shook his head. Monkrion also shook his head. "If you want something, boy, you'd best remember what you're   
to call me." He waited expectantly. 

Orion tried to look through his confused, frightened mind, and couldn't think. He couldn't remember   
what he was supposed to call him. "I-I-I don't r-remember..." 

The simian shrugged and strapped the boy in. "Tough luck. Maybe when you want something bad   
enough you'll remember. Now." 

For the next hour Monkrion went through, over and over, everything a slave should know. He told him   
how he is to act, what he is to call Blackmoor, what he is to call any other taskmaster. He said over and over that Orion was only a worthless slave, that he is nothing here. he said this more than anything, drumming it   
over and over into the boy's mind. He told him what the consequences were for disobedience once he was done   
with his training, what the punishment was for attacking a taskmaster, or trying to escape. 

Through this whole thing, Orion only sat on the chair, his neck and back already protesting after the   
long, long night of sitting on a hard stool. He was tensed up, his whole body. 

"Well?" Monkrion demanded, staring hard at the boy. 

"Wh-what?" Orion said. he had no idea what the Mutant wanted of him. 

Monkrion debated whether to slap the child, and did not this time. He took the boy's arm in one hand   
and his mane in the other. he forced the little slave to look up. "When a taskmaster tells you something, you   
answer with 'yes, sir'. You got that, you little shitbag?" 

"I-I-I'm not-" Orion began, but the simian gripped both his arms and slammed him against the back of   
the chair, making him cry out. 

"Answer me, slave! You do not contradict a taskmaster. Answer up!" He slammed Orion twice more   
before he stammered out the response he wanted. He released the boy from the bruising grip. "You're a slow   
learner, cub. I've known dogs that learn faster than you." 

Orion said nothing, only shook as he sat in the chair. He'd never known anything like this before, he   
never thought adults were mean to little kids. Mean like the cheetah had been that one day he had gotten into a   
fight with the other cubs, but not mean like this. 

Monkrion had repeated everything several times, and now he quizzed the boy on it. "What are you to   
call me?" he demanded. He had the riding crop i his hand again and paced, slapping the crop into his other hand as he talked. 

Orion did not answer. He didn't want to cooperate. He didn't want them to think they'd won! he did   
not want to bend to their command. It hurt his pride. 

But without a word the Mutant struck him hard across his chest, making him cough. "Answer me, brat." 

After he'd caught his breath, he debated not answering again, but looked at the crop, and looked at the   
floor. "Sir," he mumbled, biting his lip. 

"That's better. What are you to call the other taskmasters?" 

Beginning to cry again, Orion answered the same. 

"Good boy. Now, when you are given an order, what do you do?" 

Biting his lip, the cub said, "Say 'yes sir' and do it." he had no intentions of doing it, but now was not   
the time to express that. 

"And when asked a question?" 

"A-answer the same way..." Orion glanced back up, to see what the mutant was doing. He felt unsafe   
turning his gaze away too long. 

"Who is Blackmoor to you, boy?" 

Orion bit his lip harder, not wanting to answer, even after he was struck, he did not want to answer the   
simian. his pride had been hurt many times in his young life. he did not want it hurt further. 

Monkrion glared at the cub. "I said answer me." He hit the boy across the midsection, making him cry   
out. "Answer me now!" 

Panting, Orion pressed his lips tightly together in a gesture of helpless anger. "He-he's a...a...he's a big,   
mean butt!" he yelled. Had his hands been free, he would have pounded them on the arms of the chair in his   
frustration. 

Monkrion said not a word. He only paused for a moment before laying into the cub with the crop,   
striking him hard enough to leave angry red welts on his chest and midsection. Orion was screaming words that   
were not understandable, but the simian ignored them. When he thought the cub had been sufficiently   
punished, he stopped, leaving his subject sobbing hard. After giving him a moment, he quietly told him to be   
quiet. When he did not, he struck the boy across the face. With the crop. 

Orion screamed, and kept crying, but he was still trying to stop. He didn't want to be hit again, he was   
terrified of being hit again. 

"Quiet," Monkrion said again in a low, emotionless tone. He was pleased to see the cub managed to   
quiet himself sooner than the last time, although he did not show it. He put away the crop, but kept it close by.   
"Now," he said. "Let's begin again. What is Blackmoor to you?" 

Not able to answer for a minute, Orion was silent. But fear made him try and force himself. Speaking   
from what the monkey had just drilled into his mind all morning, he stammered, "M-m-my m-ma-has-ster..."   
His voice shook, but the simian understood him. 

"That's better. You'd save yourself from a lot of pain if you would have said that in the first place. The   
first thing you will learn is that badmouthing your betters will get you beaten." 

Over the next few days, life went mostly like this for the young cub. If he did reasonably well for his age   
and for how long he had been trained, he was allowed to sleep and eat that night. If he did badly, he was allowed to do neither. The first few days, Monkrion reminded him every time how he is to answer up, and smacked him if he did not. After three days, he was struck if he did not do it on his own. 

The fifth day, Monkrion finally got the collar from the blacksmith in the place, fitted for the cub's   
small neck. He dragged the cub from his cell, clipped it around his neck, and put the padlock in. The sleepy   
child touched the collar and made a face, immediately not liking the way it felt. "I-I don't like..." he began to   
whine, but stopped himself, looking fearfully up at the simian to see if he would be hit. 

The Mutant looked contemptuously at him. "You remembered, and so I will let it go this time. But the   
next, you will be disciplined." 

Orion did not say anything, but reluctantly followed his jailer from the cell. He had refused to leave the   
cell this whole time, and the last time he'd been dunked for it. He hated that. he hated the feeling of not   
being able to breathe, of the inside of his chest burning when he tried to breathe, feeling dizzy when he was let   
up, and his throat hurting. 

The child shuddered as he climbed timidly into the chair he had come to hate. Slowly Monkrion was   
becoming more strict in his discipline, and had punished him when he resisted enough to have to be strapped in. 

Monkrion started telling the child to do simple things like kneeling, and sitting quietly, and not looking   
him in the eye; that was for Blackmoor. Slaves were not allowed to look their master in the eye unless he told   
them to. He made the boy do that as well, looking at him when he commanded him to. 

Commendation for obedience, punishment for disobedience. 

All the while, through his actions and his words, and how he treated the young slave, he drummed into   
his head over and over that he was worthless. That Orion was only a possession to be done with what his master wished. He was nothing, he was less than dirt; he had no rights, no freedom, no will of his own. 

And all through this, Orion tried very hard to keep in mind what his father had told him that night at   
supper. He tried to remember his own worth no matter what the Mtuant said, but monkrion was an expert at   
what he did. He knew how to make his victims believe they were worthless. And it was working. 

Chapter 8 

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	8. Chapter 8

8 

On the sixth day, little Orion felt the bite of the whip for the first time. He'd been hit, yelled at, had   
rules and derogatory insults drummed into his mind for almost a week. The child was confused, scared,   
tired, and hungry. Even when allowed to sleep his sleep was troubled. 

He was slapped across the face. That was all, nothing more serious than that. He had failed to call Monkrion "sir". Just a slap, and although it hurt his bruised face, it was not that bad compared to the ordeal thus far. 

But it was the straw that broke the camel's back. His lip trembled as he began to cry, and then, taking   
the simian completely by surprise, he used his sharp little claws and slashed hard at the monkey. Even when   
he'd fought other children he had never slashed that hard. 

Monkrion let a yelp of pained surprise as the child's claws laid three deep claw marks in his stomach. 

While he was distracted, Orion ran to the wall he had watched the simian take the riding crop from so many times, snatched a rod from it, and threw it at him as hard as he could. 

The child got a lucky shot. The end of the heavy metal rod caught Monkrion in the side of the head and   
he dropped, dazed, to the floor. Orion, now frightened about what he had done and wanting to get away before   
he was caught, took the simian's keys and ran to the door. He managed to unlock the heavy metal doors and   
run out. 

Monkrion groaned, and shook his head, then growled in anger. The cub had just made the worst   
mistake of his life. He ran after the kid before the door could close and lock again, as if it had, he would have   
to radio for someone to let him out. 

Orion ran. He ran, alternating between all fours, and two feet, throwing terrified glances behind him as   
he did. He wove in and out of the other slaves working around the building, ducked behind sheds and privies, and underneath worktables. 

Monkrion had contacted with his communicator a few of the guards under his command, and the foursome chased after the boy, running after him, shoving slaves from the way with derogatory curses. 

Although the cub ran as hard as he could and tried his best to hide, the adults finally caught up with him. 

A hyena guard dragged the boy, kicking and screaming, from underneath a workbench in the metal shop where   
the blacksmiths and metalworkers labored. 

Monkrion grabbed the cub from the hyena and received a kick in the face. He snarled and threw the boy   
to the ground, where he landed in the dirt outside the shop and sprawled several feet away. he picked the dazed   
child up to his feet, pinned his hands roughly behind him, and marched him back towards the building. "You   
just made a big mistake, worm," he said. 

Orion yelled tearfully the whole way to be released, but they went unheeded as he was dragged back to   
the hateful room. Once back inside, with the door securely locked and the key safely out of the child's reach,   
Monkrion threw the boy up against the wall, the one that had the iron rings and the chains.These were too big for the boy, but Monkrion simply forced both the boy's hands into one shackle and used the other one to secure him to the wall. once again he was on his toes. 

The child had been in this position before, and remembered what happened last time, and started to   
fight. "Let me go!" he cried in a little voice. 

Monkrion kicked him in the leg. "Shut up! you are going to find out what a mistake you just made,   
brat!" The simian went to the wall that held the smaller items and took a whip from the wall., his medical examination of the cub had shown he was tough and sturdy and healthy enough to withstand it, and now he would feel it. He brought the long handled weapon back, and let it fall across the child's shoulders. 

Orion screamed at the new searing pain, and for a moment was silent in shock. Then the burning set in   
and he began to cry. 

CRACK! The whip fell again, cutting a slash across the child's back this time, and he screamed again. 

"You NEVER strike a taskmaster, you worthless shitbag!" he growled, and struck again. "This is for defying   
your betters." And he struck once more. Each time he hit the child, he told him exactly why he was being punished, calling him names he had never heard spoken before. Some in a language he did not even know. 

Fifteen lashes. That was how many times Monkrion hit the child with the whip. Vicious treatment for   
one so small indeed, and the poor cub was only half conscious when the monkey was done. Even then, he still   
sobbed uncontrollably, never having felt such pain before. 

Monkrion took his mane and jerked the boy's head roughly back. "This is your first taste of the whip,   
Wermieren dung. And it will not be the last. You will never attack me or annoy another taskmaster again, or you   
will get the same, or worse. Do you understand me?" The child said nothing and he yanked on his mane.   
"Answer me!" 

Orion could not. His mind was filled with too much pain and fear to get out an intelligible thought. 

Monkrion growled, stepped back, and struck the child once more with the whip, leaving another slash down   
his back. Orion screamed and started shrieking, "Stop it! Stop it! Stop hurting me, please stop hurting me,   
please stop it, stop it..." 

Monkrion nodded grimly at the nearly unintelligible childish pleas. That was the response he wanted.   
He grabbed the mane again and said, "You want me to hurt you more?" The child shook his head desperately,   
his eyes wide with terror and pain. "Then answer me. Do you understand what I said, maggot?" Orion nodded   
immediately. Monkrion yanked back ion the boy's mane. "Answer up!" And he had better remember how he   
was to do so or he would endure another few lashes. 

"Y-y-yes, s-sir, yes sir, y-yes, s-s-sir, y-yes..." the child babbled. 

Monkrion let go of his mane. "And don't forget it!" He curled his lip in disgust at the smell of blood. 

Sixteen open lashes criss crossed Orion's back, shoulders, bottom, and legs. it had torn the fabric of the breeches Blackmoor had made him wear. A quick look told him that while they would hurt for a very long time, they were in no danger of killing him from blood loss. They would need to be disinfected though. 

But first... 

Blackmoor had given him permission to do this. Monkrion took a pair of pliers off of the wall,   
grabbed one of Orion's bound hands, and forced the fingers out. Taking one of his claws in the pliers, he squeezed and ripped the claw out. 

Orion shrieked and began sobbing again, struggling to free his hand from Monkrion's grasp, but he was   
ignored as he repeated this process for all of the claws on Orion's left hand. "Maybe you will think of this the next   
time you want to claw someone," he said calmly. "And now, to cleanse you, you miserable worm." 

Leaving the kid there, Monkrion opened a cabinet and took out a large medkit, a necessity here. Not   
thinking or caring about the cub's pain, he took out a small medical scrub brush that had antiseptic, antibacterial   
substances in the handle that oozed from the bristles. He went to the sobbing child and used the brush to scrub   
the child's back, scrubbing the blood from the fur although it would certainly bleed more. 

Orion started screaming as the simian administered his rough first aid, and pleaded for him to stop. but   
he did not. He dropped the boy's trousers to cleanse the lashes on his rear and his legs, then pulled them back   
up. once this was done, he released the cub ad dragged him to a corner of the room. There, there was a   
wooden box. It had sides that slid in or out to adjust and he shoved the child in, his knees against his chest, his   
arms drawn under his chin. He closed the door then used the mechanism, to draw the sides and the top in so   
that the boy was crammed into a very small area. 

The walls pressing in on him, digging into his slashed back, pressing his body against his chest and   
making it difficult to breath, Orion screamed again He sobbed to be let out, but Monkrion did not. He banged   
on the box. "You will stay in there without food or water. By then you should have learned your lesson, worm." He left the boy. 

The child was left in there for thirty-six hours, and taken out only twice for the simian to cleanse   
the whip wounds. This was extremely painful, and it made Orion scream every time. By the last time this happened, he was ready to do anything to make it stop. 

When Monkrion finally let the boy out, temporarily crippled from being cramped up so severely for so   
long, Orion said nothing. He had wet himself, but did not even notice. He only cried and looked at the floor as he knelt, panting for breath. He was afraid to say anything. 

"You earned your lesson, turd?" 

Orion did not look up, only nodded immediately. 

That was good. But he could not be lenient. He kicked the boy's back lightly. "What?" 

Orion screeched and cringed away from him. "Y-yes, s-sir," he stammered. 

"Good. Then we can continue with your training." The boy would be there longer than the usual week,   
and he would include this in his report to Blackmoor. 

Chapter 9 

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	9. Chapter 9

9 

After thirteen days, Blackmoor sat in his office and looked over the reports that his trainers sent him. 

The jackal...he had been there three days and was exhibiting enough submission to be released into the work   
area. Pathetic. Blackmoor was ashamed to be of the kind. 

The feline woman had been difficult to break in. She still was far from broken, but that would be   
resolved in time. The initial training was not to break the subject completely, although sometimes it did. He   
smiled in anticipation. This one was beautiful; she would learn to be obedient. She didn't have to love him   
or whoever would be her eventual master. Just submit to him. 

The Thunderian man...acceptable. His time had gone more or less in the usual fashion. He was doing   
what he had to to avoid being hurt, but would take the first opportunity to escape. Blackmoor hoped that he did. No one escaped his compound, and he would soon learn what happened to those who tried. 

Ahhh, the cat-cub. Blackmoor had wondered at first why he was still in training, but had read the   
reports from Monkrion. The little bastard had been hell to break in, and he only a child! Yes, Blackmoor saw   
this one as a personal challenge. Hmm. So, he had a particular aversion to being dunked. He would have to   
take advantage of this his taskmasters always included this in their reports, what the subject seemed to hate the   
most. Blackmoor used it against them. Little Orion had not cared to be restrained in the discipline box, either. 

Good, good, good. 

On the morning of the fourteenth day, the kid was deemed ready to be set to work. He would be   
watched like a hawk, and punished in these first few weeks, even months, for every little thing. A slave's   
training was never over. They were worked on their whole lives. A broken will was more likely to be trusted,   
and submissive. 

Orion was brought out of the hateful building, squinting even in the dim light that served as Plundaar's   
day. The manacles and leg irons had been put back on, and he still bore the collar with the identification   
number on it. He hated the restraints, he hated them with a passion. But the only thing the cub did when he   
limped inside the building where Blackmoor sat was look miserably at the ground. He still hurt, a lot. 

As they came in, Blackmoor smiled unpleasantly and stood up. Not very tall but unusually muscular for   
a jackal Mutant, Blackmoor loomed over the terrorized Thunderian cub. "So. Let's see how well you've   
learned your lessons." The jackal looked the child over, noted the bruises and the lacerations here and there,   
and mostly noted he'd been shown the whip So the little brat was strong enough Good. It had probably been   
the worst nightmare the kid had ever endured. 

Orion only bit his lip and stared at the ground. He was too afraid to look up. 

Blackmoor looked at the silently crying child and nodded in satisfaction. It was a vast change over the   
spirited little hellion that had bitten him on the hand. "Kneel, slave." He watched. 

Orion hesitated, not wanting to kneel in front of this Mutant that he hated...he hated him more than   
anything. He didn't want to kneel in front of him, and do what he commanded. But he risked a glance at   
Monkrion, who stood behind him like an overzealous prison guard. He had brought the whip from the training   
building with him, and brought it into sight. 

The cub made a frightened outcry and hastily knelt on the ground, wincing, expecting to be struck. But   
he was not, this time. He did catch Monkrion's warning look though: next time he would not be so kind. 

Blackmoor nodded in approval. "Good work, Monkrion." He stepped up so that he stood less than a   
foot from the cub, and Orion did not move. Although he shook in fear, he clenched his fists and forced himself to stay where he was for fear of punishment. "Look at me." Orion did. "Good. Who am I?" 

When the boy hesitated, Monkrion let the whip crack across his already slashed back. The child screamed. 

"Who am I, Orion?" Blackmoor repeated, his tone holding no mercy, no compassion; only malevolence.   
This time the child answered tearfully. "M-my m-m-master..." 

"That's right, wretch. And what are you?" 

The child bit his lip again. It was something he did when he was scared or unsure, and had done it so   
much in the past days he had bloodied it. "A-a Th-thunderian..." 

Monkrion kicked the boy in the back. That was not what he had been taught. "You are asking for it,   
boy," he warned. 

Blackmoor growled and took the whip from Monkrion, tired of playing games. He had been told how   
harsh he could be with the boy without endangering his life, and what he was about to do would not do it. He   
would make this child fear him, or the boy would die, it was that simple. The jackal lashed at the boy with the   
whip, hitting him in the side twice before the terrified cub recoiled and curled up in his side with his manacled   
hands over his head. He started screaming when Blackmoor did not stop but kept hitting him. 

The jackal did not stop until he'd struck a good fifteen times, the same as Monkrion had given. he left   
the child sobbing hysterically on the floor, curled up in a tight ball. Dropping the whip, he grabbed the little cat   
by the mane and hauled him to his feet, then grabbed both his arms and brought his own face close to the cub's. 

"I am through playing games with you. If this is what it takes to keep you in line, this is what I will do. I am   
not as nice as Monkrion is, brat." He shook the boy. "Now you tell me what you are, you worthless shit!" 

Orion had learned an important lesson in just those few minutes: Blackmoor did not care if he lived or   
died. And he was cruel. He would not openly defy the jackal again. Through his tears, Orion stammered, "A   
slave..." 

Blackmoor shook him again. "What was that, little shit? What are you to call me?" 

Terrified simply by these words, Orion amended his answer, calling the jackal master. He was released   
and ordered to kneel once more. He did, crying desperately in pain from the beating. On top of the other one,   
only partly healed, it was almost too much for him to take. 

"Good. Now that you know how things are done around here, we will continue." Orion did not answer   
wrong again, and a light nudge on his bloodied side or back was all that was needed to remind him if he forgot   
to answer in the right way, or if he nodded instead of answering aloud. 

When the questioning was done, Blackmoor commanded the child to stand up, and was pleased to see   
than even though it was pain it hurt him, he did it anyway. "You're a stupid slave," he said disgustedly. "And   
you will not be fed tonight. Tomorrow after you've worked, you will be given supper. If you have behaved   
very well..." He sneered at the cub and lightly tapped his side with the handle of the whip he'd retrieved from   
the floor. The boy cried out and put a hand to his side. "...you will be given a painkiller with your meal. But   
only if you act exceptionally well, is that understood, maggot?" 

The boy nodded immediately, and then without being prodded, said so aloud. The poor cub had been   
stuttering so badly during the questioning that Blackmoor should not have been able to understand him...but he   
had been through this numerous times...and he new how to decipher a slave's terrified speech. That was a good   
thing. It meant they feared him a great deal. 

"Good. Get him out of here, put him in the box for the rest of the day, then put him in a cell." He was   
pleased at the look of fear that passed the boy's face, and he started to stammer a plea to not be put in the   
hateful tiny prison. Blackmoor simply raised an eyebrow and the whip he held. "Did I hear you speak out of   
turn, brat?" 

Orion whimpered, and shook his head fast. At the rise of Blackmoor's other brow, he quickly rectified   
his answer, shaking at the realization that he either had to cooperate, or be hurt further. 

"Good." At Blackmoor's dismissal, Monkrion nodded and dragged the cub out to put him in the box. 

He pulled the child out several hours later, panting for breath and whimpering uncontrollably. He got   
no trouble as he half led, half dragged Orion to the main cell block, a large, plain, stone building of 6 X 6 cells   
with nothing in them but a hole in the corner for a toilet. The simian threw the boy into an empty one and left   
him for the night, 

Orion did not sleep...he was in too much pain. He cried softly the whole night while most of the other   
slaves slept. They were used to hearing such things. Only two hours before he would be awakened to work in   
one of the silver mines, he finally passed out from sheer exhaustion. 

Blackmoor using the whip   
Blackmoor and orion 

Chapter 10 

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	10. Chapter 10

10 

It seemed to Orion that as soon as he fell asleep, he was being awakened by a loud banging on his cell   
door. "Wake up, wretch!" came a loud, obnoxious voice. Orion looked up to see a strange looking black and   
white Mutant grinning at him. He could not be more than thirteen years old. "I said get up, you   
little shit, before I come in there and get you." 

Orion sat up and immediately regretted doing so. As his mind woke up, his body resumes sending its   
signals of pain to him from the whip. He fell back to the ground, tears in his eyes. "I-I can't!" he whined, trying not to move so he wouldn't be hurt any more. 

The Mutant, a skunk, opened the door to the boy's cell and hauled him to his feet with an outcry from   
the feline. He slammed him up against the wall, which made his scream. "Well you're better be able to, or   
you'll be meeting with Blackmoor again. He's ordered all disobedience on your part immediately reported.   
You want that?" The boy shook his head fast. "Answer up!" 

At first there was a horrible moment when he thought he would not be able to remember what he was   
supposed to say, but then it popped into his mind...probably saving him from a nasty smacking-around. 

"N-n-no, s-sir," he whimpered. 

"Well at least you've got some brains." he shoved the cub out. "Let's go. You're working in the   
mines today. You even mined before? Probably not, a spoiled, soft little turd like you probably's never seen work in your life." 

Not knowing what to say, and still trying to deal with his pain, Orion only stammered quietly the way   
he was expected to. 

"Well it doesn't matter, you'd better learn, or you'll be in trouble." 

These words did not make the cub feel any better as he was pushed roughly along, outside the building   
he had spent the night in. He just wanted to go home, that's all he wanted. He wanted to go home, wanted   
everything to be all right. He had said this many times, and had only gotten smacked for it,and so he stopped   
saying it. But he did not stop thinking it. 

Orion was brought to a cramped looking mine shaft that descended sharply into a small cliff face. He   
hesitated, and was jerked along by the arm by the strange skunk Mutant. It was dark and small, and Orion felt   
uncomfortable in it...the supports looked shaky in the dim light, and they were. "I-I don't like it..." 

The skunk smacked the cub upside the head. "Shut up, slave." 

Orion sniffed and rubbed where he'd been hit. He did not cry; had perhaps done so too much to be able   
to right now. He was led deeper into the mine, where the light brightened the smallest bit, and the sounds of   
metal banging against stone greeted the boy's ears. As they turned a corner, Orion saw others working there,   
some cubs like him only older, and a few small statured adults. The mines were small, and the taskmasters few,   
and so it was mostly the children and the weaker adults that were sent to work there. 

None of the workers looked up as the chained cub was led in, but the lone taskmaster did. "So, you're   
the brat that gave Blackmoor so much trouble," the Reptilian snarled. He grabbed Orion's arm, dismissed the   
skunk, and got in the cub's face. "If you cause trouble here, what he did to you would be nothing." He indicated the blood-soaked fur of Orion's side and back and legs. "Understood?" 

Orion nodded hastily, and the reptile let him go. He shoved a small, pointed hammer into Orion's   
hand, and dragged him to a section of wall close to the floor. The boy would have to kneel or sit to access it. 

"That's your spot." He pointed to the others, and said, "You hit the rock around this silver here. You put the   
silver in a pile. When you have a small pile, go over and put what you got in that bin over there. You leave too   
much in the walls, or don't mine enough for my tastes, you get thrashed. Got it?" 

Orion looked miserably at the soft gray Plundaarian rock and nodded numbly. Moving hurt him but he   
was more afraid of what would happen if he didn't work, and so the child sat in the dirt and started hitting the   
stone as he saw the others doing. At first, he got nowhere, but in a little while, as he began to get the hang of it,   
he started to make a little bit of progress. As he began to learn what kinds of angles would chip rock away, and   
which would merely bounce; as he started seeing how hard he had to hit to break it, he started getting the harder   
metal out. He was relieved.; when he was not doing well, the reptile had been glaring at him threateningly, and   
Orion was thoroughly scared of the taskmasters of this horrible place. 

As most of the others in the mine, Orion worked there all day. The slaves were given a few short breaks   
during the hot summer day to get water and rest a few moments before being ordered back to work. The more   
experienced slaves were moved around to different positions on the cave wall, so they were not stuck doing the   
same exact motions in the same positions. That was a good way to give them the tendon strain or something   
similar that would make them too inefficient in their work to keep. Blackmoor was a cruel, heartless bastard,   
but he was a smart Mutant. He knew what would lose and what would gain him money. 

But for now, Orion stayed on that one little section of wall, and by the end of the day he had a small   
pile of silver beside him. All throughout the day, he had kept glancing nervously behind him at the reptile, who   
returned his glances with his customary glare. He had asked during the day when they'd have lunch, as by this   
time here he was very hungry, and had been kicked in the rear end for it. He had not asked again. 

At the end of the day, the other slaves left on their own for their quarters. The youngest, a little hyena   
Mutant that looked a couple of years older than Orion, looked at the Thunderian cub sympathetically, then left   
before the taskmaster could see him. He also was in chains. 

"Okay, brat, I get the unpleasure of escorting you to the training room to be branded, then I guess you   
can eat." Blackmoor had said that if Orion behaved sufficiently, he could be given supper, and if he had not   
caused any trouble at all, he would be given painkillers. But he had also said he wanted Orion marked. He   
wanted the child marked as belonging to him. The collar was also for ID, as brands were easy to hide, whereas   
the wide collars were not; but the brand marked who the slave belonged to. And brands could not be removed. 

"B-branded?" Orion said. He was not sure what the reptile meant. He knew that farmers sometimes   
marked their meat animals like that, but that meant burning their fur, which never grew back. That wasn't what   
the reptile meant...was it? 

The reptile grinned. "Yeah. Blackmoor wants you branded. You know, putting a hot iron to your hand   
so it makes a mark." 

Orion stopped walking and gave the reptile a terrified look. "No, don't brand me!" It WAS what he'd   
meant, but worse! "I-I didn't do anything wrong!" His lip trembled as he drew his hands to his chest protectively. 

The reptile gave him a nasty grin. "And if you give me any trouble of it, you won't be fed tonight,   
either. I hear you didn't eat much in training, and didn't eat yesterday. You must be really hungry, too. Too   
bad." 

The boy put the fingers of his right hand in his mouth as he considered...but he was hungry, and he   
did want the painkillers, for after the long day in the hot cave, his muscles ached, and his wounds burned fiercely. 

Looking at the ground, he reluctantly began walking again, now dreading where he was going.   
The reptile raised an eyebrow. He had expected the boy to make a fuss, but he was tougher than he   
seemed, apparently. He took the boy's arm again and led him. 

"W-w-will it h-hurt?" Orion asked fearfully, not turning his gaze from the dull brown dirt he waked on. 

"Of course it's gonna hurt, it's gonna hurt like hell. If you're good, I'll put something on it to soothe it.   
If not, you can suffer." The boy did not answer, but he did not make trouble, either. 

When he saw that where he was going was the same place he had spent a seeming eternity of hell being   
"trained", Orion had balked again. But once more, the threat of no food and further punishment made him walk   
again. 

Trying not to look at anything there, Orion sat in the chair he had sat in so many times over the last two   
weeks. The reptile admonished him that if he had to strap him in, he would not be happy, and Orion said he   
wouldn't have to. The reptile stoked up a fire and put the branding iron in to heat, and saw that although   
Orion's eyes were full of fear as he watched him, and began to realize exactly what would happen, he did not   
move. Whether that was because he was too afraid to, or because he wanted to eat and was making himself do   
it, the taskmaster did not know. But either way, he was surprised. 

Orion had finally looked back at the ground while the iron heated up, his thumb in his mouth...and when   
the reptile finally approached him, the iron so hot it glowed red, he still did not move. But he did begin to cry. 

"Give me your hand." 

The cub was shaking, and he tried, he tried to do as he was told, but he could not bring himself to do it. 

The reptile fully expected this as a natural reaction, and simply strapped the boy's arm to the chair, palm up.   
"Open your fingers. If I have to do it, you will be sorry." The boy finally did, and he taped them down. No   
matter how much the kid wanted to, he wouldn't be able to keep from trying to close him again when the brand was applied. 

As soon as that was done, with no further warning, the reptile pressed the hot metal to the boy's palm   
and held it there. 

The young slave shrieked, and as a normal reaction, did try to jerk away. But he could not move, and he   
only started crying in pain as the reptile calmly held the brand in place. When it was finally removed, Orion   
felt like his hand was still burning, his cries continued as his other hand clenched and unclenched. The reptile   
came back with some clean gray ash from another of the little coal furnaces, and dumped a small pile onto the   
boy's hand to ensure a clear scar. Orion cried out again, expecting it to burn even more, but to his surprise and   
relief, the ash felt cool, and as the reptile lightly rubbed it into the fresh burn, Orion's cries quieted. 

"Good," the reptile said, as he released Orion's hand, The boy immediately grasped it with his other   
hand and drew it to his chest. "You keep behaving, and you'll not endure any more pain than necessary." He   
pulled the boy to his feet and marched him out of the building. He would never tell the boy, but he held a grudging admiration for his courage and stamina. He was a tough little shit. 

Orion was brought back to his cell, and the reptile's report to Blackmoor was satisfactory. Orion was   
given supper that night, a large bowl of stew, two small pieces of bread, and a large glass of water. Most of the   
slaves were only fed once a day, and so it had to be adequate. Sometimes it was only barely so. 

With this food, Orion was also given two blue colored pills, and was told to take them. He did so before   
he dug into the food, almost forgetting his pain and fear as he ate, his stomach finally getting what it had been wanting. He ate it all. 

When the slave whose duty was to pick up the dinner dishes did so, Orion was lying tiredly on the floor,   
curled up lightly on the side that had not taken the beating. He had his thumb in his mouth, his branded hand   
away from his body so he did not lie on it. 

After a few moments, Orion began to notice that the pain was beginning to fade, and although it did not   
go away completely, it was enough. With a sigh of relief, Orion fell asleep at once, for the first time since he   
had been in the work camp. 

Chapter 11 

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	11. Chapter 11

11 

The next day, Orion was sent to work in the mine. And the next day, and the next. He hated the   
cramped little mine, and to make matters worse, as he began to learn more of how to do it, if he did not mine   
enough or made a mistake, he was punished for it. Usually he was smacked across the face, or kicked in the leg   
or the rear. Sometimes when the taskmaster was not in a good mood or when Blackmoor was supervising him,   
he was dragged outside and dunked or beaten with a hollow bamboo rod. His whip injuries were healing, but   
when this happened, they sent fresh signals of pain to the boy's mind. 

And the dunking; sometimes Blackmoor would combine them both, having another taskmaster use the   
cane on him while he held the boy's head underwater in a basin outside meant for that purpose. Orion hated   
this the most; hated the feeling of not being able to breathe, and if he was hit, it was worse. Sometimes it   
would make him gasp, and he would breathe water, then he'd be pulled up, choking. And then without any   
time to catch his breath, he'd be forced under again. By the time it was done, he was always panting   
desperately for air, his lungs feeling like they were on fire, his chest and back muscles throbbing with the strain,   
his throat raw from swallowing water when he did not want to. 

He was terrified by most of this, and Blackmoor knew it. He also knew the boy hated the box, and used   
this sometimes even when he was not bad. It instilled fear in him; made him easier to control. Orion was getting to hate both, and hate the jackal for doing it to him. So young an age to hate. 

Orion had been in the compound for five weeks now, and where he was once a happy, outgoing child,   
he was now quiet and withdrawn, his eyes always wary. He jumped at sudden movements, as it often meant he   
would be hit for something or another; even the smallest of mistakes. He cried every night for his parents,   
especially if he had been punished that day. The smacking he was getting used to sadly, but the harsher   
punishment...that was a different story. He was still escorted every night to and from his quarters, and   
anywhere else he was ordered to go, and even then, he saw no way out. Everything was so carefully controlled. 

He had taken a whipping once more, on his second week working in the mines. Five lashes, for   
stumbling and falling when carrying his silver to the bin. Most of it had landed on the taskmaster's foot. Orion   
had been very careful after that, especially since the lashes had been cleansed the same way the others had. 

As the sixth hellish week began, the little hyena cub that had been watching the newcomer approached   
him as they worked. Orion was kneeling on the round in the dim, hateful little mine shaft, tapping away at the   
wall. Only now was the hyena allowed to talk to him. "Hi," he said. 

Orion looked at the older boy warily, then back at the taskmaster, and said nothing. He did not speak   
much here, and when he did he often stuttered. Six weeks of harsh treatment had done its work. 

The hyena seemed to expect this. He had been born into slavery, as many at the compound had. To   
many on Plundaar, it was just their way of life. "I'm Hyder, what's your name?" 

The Thunderian cub looked once more back at the taskmaster, who only returnee his gaze coldly. "I-it's   
Orion..." he said. 

The little hyena grinned. "Cool. How old are you? I'm eight." 

"F-five..." He looked again at the Mutant cub and wondered why he was being nice to him. He could   
not trust anyone here...and even most of the Mutant slaves had treated him badly when he came in contact with   
them. 

"Hey get to work, you brats. If you can't work while you talk, then shut up." He kicked both of them   
in the rear. 

"Yes, sir," Hyder said, not fazed in the slightest, and went back to work. 

Orion yelped, and hurriedly went back to his task fearfully, stammering his own reply. 

"You're new, huh? Master Blackmoor doesn't like you very much." The cub leaned over to whisper   
softly. "Did you really bite him?" Orion nodded, and Hyder grinned. "Cool! boy I sure would've liked to see   
that." 

Orion gave him a look, trying to figure out if he meant it or not. It felt like he did..but after what he   
had been through he wasn't sure. He finally decided to trust the young cub, as he was the only friend he had. He   
nodded. 

Hyder looked at the little cub and laid a hand on his shoulder carefully. He did not want to hurt the little   
feline. "It's all right...it's not so bad, really. If you just do what they tell you to, you don't get treated so bad.   
I've only been here a couple of months, they don't like me much either. Of course the others don't like hyenas   
a lot." Hyder extracted a lump of silver and put it in Orion's pile when the taskmaster wasn't looking. He'd   
seen the cat having trouble. He winked at the younger cub. 

Orion looked at him, surprised, and managed a small smile back, the first he'd made in over a month. 

That day, a solid friendship was formed. During one of the breaks, they talked quietly, learning about   
each other. Hyder felt sorry for the little Thunderian, he liked little kids, and usually tried to help them out wherever he was. He'd been bought, traded, won...there was not much that Hyder had not seen or done. 

Orion was shocked to hear that many of the slaves are born into it, and just accept it. He told his new   
friend what had happened in his own village, crying as he recalled it. He had been trying not to think about it. 

Hyder looked sad at the news, and he was. He knew the parents were probably dead. He did not know where   
his own were. He had been allowed to stay with his own mother only long enough so be able to be sold on his   
own. The hyena cub slowly leaned over and hugged the younger child, careful of his injuries, which were still   
healing. 

Orion had recoiled, but when the hyena hugged him, he immediately felt some of the fear and the pain   
go away. It was amazing how much good one act of kindness or comfort can do. 

Seeing it had helped, Hyder grinned at the little cub as the taskmaster started hollering for everyone to   
get back to work. Hyder stuck his tongue out at him when he wasn't looking, then picked up his hammer again. 

At Orion's horrified look, he said aloud and with a wink, "Simi's not so bad. He says he's mean, but he's really   
kind of nice." 

Orion winced as the taskmaster, assumedly Simi, scowled and kicked the little hyena hard in the hind   
end. "Watch it, Hyder," he growled. 

Hyder had been fully expecting something similar, and it didn't faze him too much. He yelped, but he   
grinned as he rubbed his backside. "See?" he whispered to Orion. 

The Thunderian looked at Hyder in a new light, that day being one where he truly started to see what he   
could and could not do here, and with whom. He went back to work beside his new friend, and the day was not   
quite so miserable for him. 

Chapter 12 

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	12. Chapter 12

12 

Three months later, Hyder and Orion were fast friends. The little hyena cub helped the boy learn things,   
helped him remember what to do and how to act. They were still working in the mines, and it was getting into   
autumn now and getting a little chilly. But still it was not too bad. 

Orion had avoided the whip for these months, and the other wounds had healed. He'd bathed after a   
fashion, as the lower slaves were bathed once a week outside with a hose. He had gotten used to the chains and   
the collar although he still hated them. But at least they did not bother him constantly. 

He had had far too many run ins with the dunking basin, however. It was the main discipline they   
used on him when he made a mistake, sometimes for only forgetting to say "sir" to a taskmaster. He avoided the   
basins whenever he could, as now he was no longer escorted to his cell, but was allowed to walk there on his   
own. He would not dare try and go anywhere but the cell block...although he had gotten lost the first time and   
been beaten for it with the bamboo cane. He had not gotten lost again. 

Hyder, who was very good at weaseling, had convinced the taskmasters to let him use the cell next to   
Orion's, and sometimes when they were not too tired, they talked at night. "How come they always c-call me   
names and say r-really mean things?" Orion asked the other cub during one of these talks. 

"Well, they do that because they want you to feel worthless and so you'll feel like you can never get   
away because they're too strong and you're too weak and all that. I'm used to it, but new ones, it works better   
on them...just ignore it." 

Orion's lip trembled. "I-I can't...it hurts. I mean it hurts inside, not outside." 

"I know what you mean," Hyder said sympathetically. "When they say it all the time, you think it. But   
it's not really all true. _Try_ to ignore it." 

The feline nodded. "A-all right...I'll try." He thought back to that day he'd had the fight with the other   
kids, that night at supper where his father had told him to always remember his worth inside, no matter what anyone said. When he remembered this, he cried, but it also was much easier to do as Hyder suggested. 

As Blackmoor acquired a few new young slaves, Hyder and Orion were finally moved out of the mines   
for a while. They were likely to be put places together, as they'd arrived more or less at the same time.   
Blackmoor was never one to make his slaves happy, especially the feline ones, but if it cost him no money or   
time, and it was to his advantage, he would do it. He often personally supervised the Thunderian cub, and   
noticed that when he was with his friend, he behaved. And so he kept them together. He knew that Orion   
liked being with his friend, and used that also as a disciplinary action. If Orion messed up mildly, he was   
taken and put somewhere to work without the hyena. He usually was more nervous, and made more mistakes,   
and Blackmoor made sure to punish him more harshly these times. It worked very well for controlling the brat,   
he'd found. 

This day, in the middle of the Plundaarian autumn, the two had been assigned to the junkyard behind the   
hangars. One of Blackmoor's businesses was spacecraft/land vehicle repair and building, and most of the adult   
slaves despised the job of parts hunting. The mechanics were almost always free, paid workers, or high ranking   
slaves, and often very irritable with the lower slaves. And the adults did not like rooting around in the junk. 

But to many of the cubs, it was one of the more enjoyable jobs. What cub would normally not like   
exploring a huge junkyard of stuff? Hyder had been recently owned by a Mutant who knew a great deal about   
vehicles and fighters, and transports, and had taught the young hyena about them. He had liked that master, and   
had actually regretted leaving him. But he had sold all of his slaves when he moved to a planet where slavery   
was illegal. And so Hyder had ended up here. 

They had both reported to the taskmaster in the hangar, and told to go assist one of the mechanics, a   
lizard looking thing named Slither. Orion approached timidly, as usual, a step behind his friend, who was more confident. Both did remain silent until they were addressed, however. 

Slither looked up at them and sneered. "What are you looking at? What the hell are both of you needed   
for here?" 

Orion looked uncertainly at the lizard, not sure what to say, but Hyder spoke up. "I'm teaching Orion,   
sir. What do you need us to do, sir?" 

Grumbling something about incompetence, the lizard gave Hyder a small list of items. "And make it   
snappy, slave." 

"Yes, sir! Come on, Orion." 

Hyder led his younger friend out in the back, where there were a large expanse of wrecked vehicles put   
out there for their parts, of trimmings and landing wheels for ancient fliers, and loose parts all over the ground.   
In some places, there were huge piles of junk. "Okay...here, this is what he wanted. You read it off, and I'll   
find the parts and show you what they are." 

Orion took the paper, but bit his lip. "I-I don't know how to read...and this doesn't look like writing..."   
The list was written in Plundaarian. He had learned some of the language as it was mot often used by the 

Mutant slaves, and also many of the taskmasters. If he was given an order in Plundaarian, he'd asked Hyder   
what it was, and remembered it so he did not get into trouble. 

Hyder raised his brows. "Oh, I didn't know. that's Plundaarian, you know some. Maybe sometime I'll   
have time to teach you how to read. okay the first one is a megacondenser. There are all different kinds, but   
that's an I-T3, I wonder if there's even one out here. It's brand new..." He looked around and did not see a   
vehicle, and he led Orion around looking for the loose part. The boy frowned. "I don't see one! Well let's get   
the other stuff. Hey Orion, see that wheelbarrow over there? Could you push it while I look?" 

Orion nodded. "Sure." The cub got the wheelbarrow, took a few minutes coordinating it, and finally   
got it over to his friend. He had found the next item, an engine coolant hose, and told Orion what it was. "See?   
It has a notch here and here." He pointed. "That's how you can tell it's for the coolant. All the other hoses   
have no markings, and they're harder to tell." 

The cub nodded, genuinely interested in what Hyder told him. He decided that this job, even as a   
slave, was not too bad. Although his leg irons kept getting caught on things on the ground. 

Hyder found each of the specified items and put them in the wheelbarrow, and then helped Orion wheel   
it back to the reptile. 

The reptile looked cross, and growled at the pair as they came back in. "Took you guys long enough,"   
he grumbled. Then he scowled. "And where's the megacondenser?!" 

Orion flinched and drew back, but Hyder said, "We couldn't find one, sir, this model only takes one   
kind, and it's too new." 

Slither frowned darkly and backhanded the young hyena. Hyder yelped and staggered a bit from the   
unexpected blow. "You worthless wretch! Get your ass back out here and don't come back until you find one!   
And if you take too long, I'll tan your hide!" 

"Yes, sir," Hyder said sullenly. "Come on, Orion." 

Slither whapped Orion upside the head. "hurry up, you flea-ridden shit." 

"Y-yes, s-sir..." Orion ran out with the wheelbarrow. 

Once safely outside, Orion rubbed his head. "I don't like him at all...all the taskmasters hate me." 

"He didn't like me very much, either," Hyder said. "Mean old jerk. Okay...well we looked all over the   
yard...maybe we should go over to another hangar and ask...yeah...come on, Orion." The little hyena ran from   
the yard, climbing the fence. He had to help Orion get over it, as he was smaller and the chains hindered his   
short legs more. The cub was nervous. "H-Hyder, wh-what if we get caught?" 

"Well...we're doing it to do our job easier..maybe they won't get mad. I hope. You don't have to come   
if you don't want to." 

"N-no...I'll come." One thing his father had instilled in him as much as self worth was loyalty. Orion   
was loyal to his friends, and his family. He would stick with Hyder. 

The cubs ran as fast as the chains would allow to the next hangar and timidly asked one of the   
taskmasters if they had one there they could have. The jackal, although no softie, was at least a reasonable   
Mutant, and looked for them. He did find one that was not needed in the back and gave it to the youths,   
admonishing them to get back fast. "Yes, sir!' Hyder said with a grin. He had already forgotten the bruise on   
his face from Slither's blow. "Thank you!" He and Orion ran out. 

The duo was halfway back to the junkyard, Hyder carrying the megacondenser, when they both stopped   
short. The good natured Hyder even stopped and backed up fearfully, and Orion started shaking and hid behind   
him. Blackmoor had crossed their path, and had turned slowly to glare at them. The slaver narrowed his eyes. 

"What are you two doing out here?" he demanded. 

Orion gulped and was unable to say anything, but Hyder looked timidly up, showing Blackmoor the   
megacondenser. "We were getting a megacondenser for one of the mechanics, master..." he stammered. Orion had never heard him stammer, even when Blackmoor was around. Of course now they were somewhere they were not supposed to be. 

Blackmoor turned his angry, suspicious eyes on Orion. "Is that true, Orion?" 

"Y-y-yes, m-m-master," Orion said, ducking further behind his friend. 

Blackmoor growled and hauled him from behind the hyena cub. "Don't you ever hide form me, wretch,   
got that?" He shook the boy, who quickly answered up. "Did the mechanic send you?" 

Orion's lower lip trembled, and he whispered his answer. He was afraid to lie. 

Blackmoor's eyes narrowed further, and he backhanded the Thunderian cub hard enough to knock him   
to the ground. 

Hyder winced. "Ma-aster, it was my idea, Orion didn't-" But the jackal did not allow him to finish,   
backhanding him as well. He staggered but stayed on his feet, and kept a hold of the megacondenser.   
Blackmoor glared at the young pair of slaves, as Orion got slowly to his feet. "You don't ever leave   
an area without permission, you little shits!" he snarled. "Ever!" He grabbed Orion by the mane. "If I ever see   
either of you where you are not supposed to be, I'll send you both into training." 

Both cubs feared that, it was apparent. Hyder had not gone through it, as he was already trained. But he   
knew what happened there. 

"Yes, master," the hyena said softly. Orion echoed it. 

"That's not enough, wretches. Orion, come here." Blackmoor took his whip from where it hung on his   
belt. 

Orion whimpered and backed away, not even meaning to. N-no, p-please," he whispered, beginning to   
cry quietly. A lot of conditioning had taught him not to be loud. "I-I-I won't do it again, I-I p-promise..." 

Blackmoor looked at him hard. "Did I just hear you disobeying an order?" he growled. Orion's eyes   
widened, and he shook his head quickly. 

The jackal smiled unpleasantly. "Tell you what, Orion." He turned his gaze to the both of them. "You   
two take your punishment without me having to secure or hold you down, and you will receive only ten lashes   
each, instead of twenty." If he could get them, particularly Orion, to do that, he knew he had come a long way   
in breaking the cub to his will. And he had only been there a little over four months. 

Orion's lower lip still shook, and he had his fingers in his mouth. He was trying to force himself to   
agree, anything to make it easier... 

Hyder bit his lip and looked down. "Master, Orion—" he began to try and defend his young friend once   
more, but Blackmoor cut him off,. 

"Any arguing, you get the full punishment. Answer now, slaves, yes or no?" He looked mostly at Orion. 

Hyder waited for the cat to reply, as he would do whatever he did. 

Orion gulped, and finally looked at the ground and nodded miserably. When Blackmoor smacked him   
in the head, he whispered his answer. Hyder also agreed once Orion had given his decision. 

"Good. get over there by that work shed and put your hands up on it." The jackal grinned and gave the   
cubs a shove. Orion walked with his head down, trying to stop crying. Hyder set the megacondenser down and   
followed, not looking too much happier. 

Once there, Orion did as he was told, putting his hands gingerly on the wood of the shed's wall. He   
looked back fearfully as Blackmoor came up behind him and brought the whip back. 

The boy turned his head back around, closed his eyes and clenched his teeth in anticipation.   
He screamed when the first crack was laid, and the second, and every other one after that. His knees   
almost buckled by the end, but the cub managed to stay on his feet for the punishment. Once Blackmoor told   
him he was done and told him to get out of the way, Orion slunk, crying, to the outside corner of the shed and   
sat down carefully. Gods, how it hurt. 

Hyder also screamed as the punishment was laid. It was kind of frightening, as Orion had never heard the   
hyena cub scream before. He too was crying when Blackmoor was done. 

"Good. You brats get back to work. And if I ever catch where you're not assigned again, you'd better   
have permission or you'll get a hell of a lot worse! Understood?" 

Both cubs answered and slunk off, Hyder grabbing the megacondenser on the way. 

They got smacked by Slither when they got back, too, for being so late with the part. They still had a   
few hours working here, but it was no longer fun for either of them that day. 

Chapter 13 

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	13. Chapter 13

13 

A couple of days later, the pair was working again in the hangar, fetching tools and parts for one of the   
higher ranking slaves. He was a good natured human named Phiron Frankson, and was one of the more pleasant   
mechanics to work with. He'd seen what the two kids had been put through, and was going easy on them. He   
did not get angry when they were slow, and didn't make them do anything too hard. The cubs appreciated this   
very much. 

"Ha-have you ever been whipped?" Orion asked his companion as they scoured the junkyard for a wheel. 

Hyder shook his head. "I got beaten once, but not with a whip. It was a wooden rod, and that was   
because I messed something up really bad and cost my master a lot of money." His voice was more downcast   
than usual, and Orion didn't blame him. He knew his friend still hurt as much as he did. "Have you?" 

Orion sniffed and nodded. "Here I did...two times I think. I-It hurt a lot...more than this time." 

The little hyena nodded sympathetically. He could definitely imagine. "Oh yeah...I remember when you   
were in the mine." he'd seen the effects of that beating then. 

Orion said no more on the subject as he peered under a junked transport. "Is this the wheel he needs?" 

Hyder crawled underneath in the dirt to look, then came back out with a wince. "Yeah...it's the only   
one too. We have to take it off ourselves." The cub retrieved a tool box from Phiron, and together he and 

Orion got the wheel off. As they rolled the large rim and tire across the junkyard, Hyder said, "It hurts most   
when I have to move a lot." He sounded like he was trying not to cry. 

Orion already was. He nodded. "Yeah..." 

Once back inside, Phiron smiled at the two younger slaves and took the tire. "Thanks, little guys." He   
looked at them, and could see they were hurting still, and sighed, looking around to make sure no one was   
looking. "Wait here a second, guys." The redheaded human left the room for a minute to retrieve his small   
duffle that he kept a few personal belongings in. The higher ranking slaves actually had belongings. He   
rooted until he found what he was looking for then came back, stopping at the sink along the way. "Here," he   
said quietly handing each of the boys a glass of water and two pills. 

They took them cautiously, almost as if afraid. "Are you sure?" Hyder asked him. 

The human smiled and put a hand on Orion's head. "Go ahead, guys, it will make it hurt a little less."   
He lowered his voice. "Just don't tell anybody I gave them to you." 

The cubs took the painkillers gratefully, and Orion shook his head. "W-we won't, we promise." 

Phiron chuckled. "That's a good boy. Now come on over here and sit down, I'll show you how this   
thing goes on." 

He was still showing the boys how things worked on the vehicle he was repairing when Blackmoor   
walked in. He walked slowly around the room to see how things were going. There were three vehicles being   
repaired, one being tuned up, and a couple of others being built. Illegal ones, those. 

When the jackal got to where Hyder and Orion were watching Phiron fixing the vehicle he was working   
on, Orion saw him first, recognizing his scent. His eyes widened, and he stood abruptly, backing away several   
steps. He had been about to duck behind the human slave, but remember he had gotten smacked for hiding from Blackmoor, and with great difficulty stood still. 

Hyder saw him a moment later and also stood warily away from him. 

Blackmoor saw this reaction and smiled inwardly, but only looked mildly at them. "Why are you not   
working?" he asked the pair. 

Phiron had also stood at his master's entrance. "Sir, I was showing them how things worked. They did   
the work that is need this morning. Perhaps someday they can work here in the hanger fixing the vehicles." He   
was defending the children without getting himself in trouble. 

Blackmoor looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "You had them working earlier?" 

"Yes, sir." 

The jackal nodded. "Very well, Phiron. But from now on, you'll get my permission before showing the   
lower slaves how things work, is that understood? I don't want these two learning yet." 

The human nodded. "Yes, sir. It won't happen again." 

"You two report to the mines, you'll be working there the rest of the day," Blackmoor said to the two   
cubs, and they answered up and slunk away. Waving to Phiron, they left the hangar and headed for the silver   
mine. It was the closest. 

Hyder scowled. "I hate him. I want to kill him." 

"Killing's wrong," Orion said. But he felt bad, because he felt the same way. He too, wanted to see   
Blackmoor dead, even if he knew it was wrong to want it. 

"Not always...most the time. But Blackmoor...he should be dead." 

"Shhh...i-if someone hears us, w-we'll be in b-big trouble." Hyder nodded, and they walked in silence   
for a while. But as they approached the mines, Orion walked slower. He looked at the tiny mine entrance, and   
entrance where even some of the smaller adults that worked there had to duck to get through, and shuddered. 

"What's the matter?" Hyder asked his friend. He stopped as the little Thunderian did as well. 

"I-I hate the mine," Orion said, his voice shaking. "I-it's small, and th-there's no air, and there's rock all   
around, and it's too little, and..." He was having difficulty thinking of the words he wanted to say how he felt.   
"I-I feel like I can't breathe, and I feel like I'm buried...it scares me. It makes me feel like when B-B-Blackmoor puts me in the box..." Orion started to cry, wiping at his eyes. 

"Awww..." The little hyena wasn't sure what to say. Most the time he knew how to comfort his   
younger friend, but this time he just did not know how. He did not know the word for what Orion was   
describing, but he knew what it was. The cub had a case of claustrophobia developing...and he knew whose   
fault it was, too. He put his arm cautiously around his shoulders. "It's okay, Orion. I'll be right there. I won't   
let anything happen to you, I promise." 

The child nodded and started walking again. But he kept his gaze to the ground. 

Orion did not look at anything as they entered the mine, only quietly went where the taskmaster told him   
to go and started working. Already he was breathing faster as he tried not to look at anything but the flat wall   
before him. He tried not to look at how low the ceiling was, or how narrow the passageway was. He tried ot to   
feel hot hot it was in there, even in the cool autumn air. He tried not to feel the stuffiness or the closeness... 

Well into his work, with Hyder working next to him, Orion did not notice the first noises. He did not   
notice, a few hours into the shift, the rumblings from the front of the cave, where the weakest supports were. 

The taskmasters that were there, two of them this time for a larger group, did. They said nothing for now. 

A half hour later, it happened. There was a loud crack that everyone heard, and a dozen heads snapped up at the noise. "Uh oh," one of the older ones, a jackal of about fifteen, said. 

The two taskmasters stood up hastily, but had no time to do anything before there was what sounded   
like a far-off bomb going off, and all of a sudden, the lights went off. There was coughing and sneezing as the   
passageway filled with dirt, and pebbles came rolling down from the entrance of the mine. 

One of the taskmasters cursed, then barked out an order in Plundaarian for everyone to stay exactly   
where they were. If they put on a light to see anyone move, they'd bust heads. 

The two taskmasters revved up a small set of emergency lights to show a little more than a dozen   
scared faces, mostly youths and children with the youngest being Orion, and three or so smaller adults. "What   
do we do?" one of them asked in a low voice. He was speaking Plundaarian. 

"I don't know, there hasn't been a collapse of the mines in a while. Let's see how far it's gone in. You   
stay here, I'll be back." With that, he traveled towards the mine entrance. 

Where they were mining now was a good deal farther in that the beginning of the mine shaft. They'd   
already gotten all that was to be gotten from the front and had move on. But the taskmaster came back only a   
few seconds later. "That passage is all blocked, almost to here. It'll take a while for them to get us out," he   
reported to his partner. 

The other nodded grimly. "I'll radio it in." He took his communicator and reported what had happened. 

Blackmoor answered the call, and wasn't too happy, and said he'd have a crew come in and get them out. He   
also said unfeelingly that if the air got too thin to kill the slaves. 

Orion was closest to them as they talked, and he had learned enough Plundaarian to know what was   
said. He began to panic. "We-we're trapped?" he said in Basic. He still spoke it more than the harsher Plundaarian language. 

As the guards gave him a dirty look, Hyder tried to calm him. "It's all right, Orion, they're gonna dig us   
out." The other slaves had huddled near the cave walls on the order to stop digging. They did not want any more to cave in. 

But Orion could not be calmed, and although he tried hard to stay still, he could not. Finally he   
couldn't take it anymore and stood, running for the entrance. "Hey!!" one of the Mutant guards yelled. The   
boy heard footsteps running after him, but did not stop. He reached the blocked passage, and struck his hands   
against it, pounding in the rocks as if that would get him out. "Let me out!" he cried, his reason having long   
been banished by his panic. 

The guard caught up to him and grabbed the metal collar around his neck. He threw the child to the   
ground. "Get back there, wretch! You'll bring the rest of it down on us!" 

But Orion was crying in fright now, not even hearing what the Mutant said. He went back to clawing at   
the rock, breathing hard as if he had no air. There was enough in the caverns for several hours, but still it felt to   
him that there was none. 

The guard growled and grabbed him again, then yelped as the panicked cub slashed him with his claws. 

He threw the cub to the ground again and kicked him in the midsection once, twice. Orion curled up on the   
ground. He yelped as he was lifted by the throat, the Mutant digging his claws into the flesh. "You like to claw   
people, worm?" he growled. He flexed the fingers of his left hand and raked them across the cub's face. He let   
out a strangled whimper. 

The guard probably would have done more serious damage, had Hyder not approached the two. he had   
gotten permission from the other guard to come and get Orion with the promise to keep him calmed. To keep   
his friend from getting further hurt, he would hold him down if he had to. 

"Sir?" the young hyena said. 

The guard spun around and growled, "What the hell are you doing here, brat? Get back in there!" 

"I had permission, sir, to come get Orion...I'll keep him from running again if you let me take him back.   
Please?" 

The taskmaster looked at the cub for a minute then nodded, dropping Orion to the ground. The little   
feline collapsed, gasping for air, and coughing between sobs. "Fine. Get him back in there. He gets up again, I'll   
make sure he can't walk. That understood, slave?" 

"Yes, sir, thank you," Hyder said, and helped Orion to his feet. He ushered the cub back to the mine and   
sat them both down in a corner, where he kept his arms around him. This was partly for comfort, partly to keep   
him from getting up. "Shhh, stop it. Stop it, you'll get hurt. Its okay...listen. They're digging us out now." 

It was true, they had gotten the machines out and higher ranking slaves were using them to dig the trapped party out. It would take a few hours, but they would get out. 

Orion listened for a moment, but did not look up. He was afraid to; if he looked up, he'd panic again   
and probably get seriously hurt. He kept his face down as Hyder held him tightly. 

It took three and a half hours, even with the advanced technology of the digging machines, to get the   
slaves and their guards out. The two were getting more and more irritable, smacking anyone that made any   
sound. The slaves wisely kept quiet. When the machines finally broke through and the slaves on the outside   
manually got the rest unblocked, the guards ordered everyone to their feet, and to get the hell out. 

"Hurry," one of the workers urged. "We don't know how long we can keep the whole thing from collapsing." 

That was sufficient to get everyone moving. Orion had stood up and ran for the entrance almost as soon   
as he saw the dim daylight from the outside. He was the first out, running past the workers and the few guards   
outside, and he kept running away from the mine until he got to a small supply shed, and then collapsed against   
it crying in relief. The others emerged, filthy, streaked with sweat and dirt, and exhausted form the ordeal. 

Hyder himself was covered head to toe in dirt as he came out. 

He left Orion alone for now. It had been as stressful for him trying to keep him quiet, and was only a   
cub himself. One of the older slaves that had been there smiled at him and gave him a friendly hug. "Ya did   
good back there, little guy," he said to Hyder. "You okay?" 

Hyder sighed and gave the slave a grateful look. "Yeah...I'll be okay. I'm okay now." He had taken   
large lungfuls of air when they got out. It had been close, this he knew. The air was running out, and he could   
tell it was. It was stale, and hard to breathe. He would never know how close the taskmasters had gotten to killing the slaves in the cavern. 

Blackmoor was angry when he'd heard about the trouble Orion had caused. He knew full well the boy   
probably had not been able to help it, but he was still mad. Orion was put in the box for the rest of the evening   
while the other slaves were put back to work. The older ones went to a different mine, and the others were dispersed around the complex. Hyder went back to the hangar. 

After what had happened, Orion had fought, actually fought Blackmoor for the first time in a long time.   
He was terrified knowing it would get him more trouble, but as before he could not control his own body. He   
kept begging Blackmoor not to put him in. 

He did anyway, of course, packing the sides in so tightly he nearly cracked some ribs. When he could   
get enough breath, Orion cried continuously to be let out, the whole time he was in there. He was left for   
several hours, and even then, Blackmoor didn't let him out. He let the sides out a little and started filling the   
box with water. 

Orion screamed once he figured out what happened and started begging again to be released, or at least   
to stop the water. Blackmore put enough it for it to be difficult for the boy to keep his head above water, and   
then gave it a shake so it would splash over. He heard the cub sputter, cough, then start crying again. "You going to fight me again, cub?" 

"No, master..." came the immediate, whimpered reply. Orion could not move, could only feel the   
helpless terror as someone who had complete control over whether he lived or died shook the box once more.   
The water went over his head again, and he screamed. 

"You don't sound like you mean it, wretch," Blackmoor said coldly. "Will you fight me again? Tell me   
what you will not do again." 

What did he want?! "I-I won't f-f-fight you ag-gain, mas-master," Orion whimpered, almost unintelligibly. "I -I p-promise, I promise! P-please let me out?" 

"'Please let me out', what?" Blackmoor prompted. 

He had not shaken the box again, and Orion took this as a hopeful sign. He answered right away,   
"Please let m-me out, m-master?" 

Blackmoor nodded and let the water out of the box, opening the door when he was halfway drained. 

The soaked cub tumbled out. 

Orion took a sound beating with the bamboo rod before being allowed to go to bed, and by then it was   
almost time to get up. As the crying child was shoved into his cell, Hyder said through the stone wall, "Orion!   
Are you okay?" Worried, he had stayed up. 

"N-n-no," Orion stammered. 

"What happened?" 

Through his sobs and stammers, Orion told his friend what had happened. Then he curled up in a corner   
of his little cell. Even the cell was starting to feel cramped to him sometimes. Like now. 

"Aww...it'll be okay, Orion...it's over now. Master Blackmoor says you don't have to mine tomorrow.   
But he won't let us work together for a while." 

Orion was disappointed to hear this...but relieved he would not be mining...very relieved. He closed his   
eyes to sleep for a few hours before he had to get up. 

The next day, Orion was not put in the mines, as Blackmoor knew he would be just about worthless. 

But he was not allowed to do something he liked, either, like the hangar work. He put him with five other young slaves pulling a cart from the mine to the supply house. He did not have to go in, just pull the cart outside. Hard work for a cub.   
Orion pulled the duty off without hardly a word other than acknowledgment of an order...and thus it went   
for the next few weeks, as autumn gave way to the Plundaarian winter. 

Phiron Frankson   
Phiron 

Chapter 14 

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	14. Chapter 14

14 

It was a month into winter, and Orion still wore nothing but the breeches Blackmoor had forced him to   
wear, and the chains, which got very cold. Plundaarian winters were not cold enough to be life threatening, at   
least not in this region, but they were miserable to work in and miserable to sleep in. 

He was finally back to working with Hyder, and happy about it. The older cub had hugged him when   
they were allowed back together, and Orion had not minded. He was getting so that he did not like to be   
touched by anyone, but Hyder was the exception. He was the one person he could trust in this whole miserable   
place. 

"It's cold out," Orion complained to his friend as they pushed the cart. He was still doing that duty. 

"I know. And Master Blackmoor says 'too bad' when anyone complains. I guess it's not that bad. One   
place I used to live had snow in the winter. But I worked inside, not outside, so it was okay. 

"Snow? Some of Thundera has snow. I want to go back there. I want to go back where I can see the   
sun and where's it's light out and warm. It doesn't get cold where I live." 

"You can see the sun where you live?" Hyder seemed surprised. On Plundaar, the sun is a deep   
orange-red. The sky is a dull orange. And so the sun is only visible when it is lightest, around noon, as a disk a   
slightly different color from the rest of the sky. 

Orion nodded. "And the sky's not orange like this. Well it's orange some of the time, but it's a bright   
orange and you can see the sun, and later, the sky gets a really light blue." The cub wiped his eyes. "I want to   
go home." 

Hyder was not sure what to say...although it sounded like a neat place to live. "If...if you ever get back   
there...can I come with you?" he asked. 

Orion nodded his head. "Yeah, I wouldn't leave you behind. My papa would like you, too, but a lot of   
Thunderians don't like Mutants. They're at war." 

The hyena cub nodded. "I know. I hear the adults talking about it all the time. Even most the other   
slaves don't like the Thunderians here. I think there are only two or three others in the whole compound, not   
counting the ones that came here with you." 

Orion scowled darkly. "I know. They shove me around a lot." 

The two worked in silence for a while, and then started talking of lighter subjects, and Hyder asked his   
friend what he would want to be if he was ever free. 

"I...I don't know," Orion admitted. "Maybe a pilot. A racer. I think about that a lot. There are races   
the Thunderians do where you have to race around the galaxy to different planets that you can reach in a small   
ship, and you have to go to each of the planets. And to make sure that no one cheats, you have to get a certain   
thing off each planet. There's enough of each for everyone to take one, and there are people there to make sure   
they only take one. And the winner gets a prize. If there are enough racers, there is first, second, and third.   
And sometimes you have to have special suits or something for the planets, and you have to know about the planet so you know what you need for it. If you can't get on the planet, you lose the race." 

Hyder listened to this with a grin, and when Orion was done with the explanation, he said, "That sounds   
cool! It's like a race and a treasure hunt at the some time!" 

Orion giggled and nodded. "Yeah, sometimes the thing you have to get is funny, sometimes just neat   
looking." He grinned at his friend and whispered, "Once, one of the things was something they weren't supposed to use, and they almost got in trouble for it because kids and stuff watch it on the televiewers." 

Hyder's eyes widened, and he asked eagerly, "What was it?" 

Orion looked back to make sure the other two slaves on the cart were not listening, and to make sure no   
one else would hear him. He leaned over and whispered in Hyder's ear, "It was a bra!" 

"No way!" Hyder exclaimed, and he burst out laughing. 

The Thunderian cub nodded. "That was one of the things they had to get," he said. "And it was pink,   
too! The grown-ups all thought it was funny, and the cubs did too. One of the racers even held it up to the screen so everyone could see. But some people got mad, and the racing committee almost got everyone in trouble." 

"Awwww, they're no fun!" the hyena protested, still laughing. "I wish I could've seen that." 

"It was a long time ago, but I saw it on the televiewer. That's what I want to do." His face turned red   
and he amended, "I mean race, not get bras." He looked at his friend as they all stopped the cart to be unloaded. "What do you want to do?" 

"I want to be a fighter pilot." The hyena cub grinned "We both want to be pilots, but for different   
things! Anyway I want to be a fighter pilot in one of those new Mantis fighters. They're really fast, and have   
four lasers instead of two, like the Skycutters, and they look like Mantis bugs. Except the Skycutters can't fly   
in space." 

"What's a Skycutter?" Orion asked. 

"Oh! I'll show you next time we get to work in the hangars, maybe they'll have one. They're cool for   
flying in the atmosphere. But that's what I want to be..." He thought a minute and bit his lip. "I was gonna   
say I'd fight the Thunderians." He looked at the feline cub next to him. "But now I don't want to. And I'd   
never fight you. Maybe the Jukra. They look like they're made out of tar and they have two tails, and they're   
mean." 

Orion blinked at that description. "I'd like to see one!" 

Hyder laughed. "Maybe you will." 

That night Orion huddled in a corner of his cell, trying to keep warm. The other slaves in the cell block   
had been given blankets at the beginning of the month, but Blackmoor just did not like Orion, and had not allowed him one. 

In fact he came down the hallway that partucular night, after the dinner dishes had been collected. He   
peered into Orion's cell, and the boy cringed in the corner. he'd not seen Blackmoor for a few days, and had   
been glad of it. 

"Did I say you could look at me, brat?" the jackal demanded. 

Orion immediately cast his gaze to the floor with a whispered apology. 

Blackmoor nodded. "That's better." 

There was an uncomfortable silence for a moment, and Orion timidly asked, "M-master? Can...c-can I   
please have a blanket? I-it's really cold in here...please?" The building did have heat, but Blackmoor only kept   
it on enough to make the cold manageable, not comfortable. He was not about to waste fuel on a bunch of low-ranking slaves. 

The jackal looked down at the cub, who had still not looked up. That was good, the wretch had learned   
obedience. For the most part. "Look at me." Orion did. "Have you been behaving?" 

"Y-yes, master..." 

"Have you talked back to your masters or disobeyed any orders?" This time a negative answer. The   
jackal nodded slowly, and the said, "You wouldn't be lying to me, would you Orion? That would be a   
mistake." An immediate negative. "Oh? Simi says that when you were in the jorick pit, you gave him trouble   
with something he told you to do." 

The cub looked at him blankly for a minute, trying frantically to remember what he meant. Jorick ants   
were among the deadliest of Plundaar's insects. A small swarm of the large ants could kill a grown man in   
minutes with their powerful jaws and acidic saliva, and Blackmoor captured the bugs and crushed them for that   
very reason. He collected and purified the strong acid, and sold it for a lot of money to scientists and   
laboratories. But you had to be careful to only work in certain areas of the pits where the creatures lived, or you   
were dead. 

Orion remembered working there for a few days, both fascinated and fearful of the ants, but he couldn't...wait a minute. "Y-y-you mean when Simi told me to get the lestricas?" 

"Well you aren't as stupid as you look," Blackmoor said coldly. "Apparently you know what I am talking about. Explain yourself." 

Lestricas were the specially made containers they used to capture the ants, resistant to the acid, with tiny   
straw like vacuums to suck them into the jar part. But Orion had not known the word, and Simi had had to   
explain it to him and tell him where they were. He'd smacked him for it, too. "I-I-I d-didn't mean to, Master,   
I-I just didn't know what they were, I didn't know the word...when he told me I did it right away..." 

Blackmoor raised a brow. "And you gave no further trouble?" A negative. "And why did you not tell   
me when I asked, boy?" 

Orion gulped. "I-I forgot, master, I wasn't trying to lie, honest...b-be-because you asked if I gave trouble, and I didn't mean to give any trouble..." 

The jackal listened to the young slave babble, hiding his amusement. The brat feared him, there was no   
doubt about it. but he did not smile outwardly. "Very well. Hakii! Get this worthless wretch a blanket." He   
pointed to Orion's cell and left the area. 

Hakii turned out to be the young skunk Mutant that Orion had met once before, and he threw a thick,   
coarse blanket through the bars. The boy wrapped it around himself and curled back up in the corner opposite   
the hole-in-the-ground toilet. 

In his own cell, Hyder grinned for his friend. "You got a blanket?" he asked. 

"Y-yeah...I thought I was going to get in trouble, though." 

"He was testing you I think...well it got you a blanket anyway. Are you still cold?" 

Wrapped in the blanket from head to toe...well from neck to toe anyway...Orion said, "Just my   
head...b-but I couldn't cover it. I couldn't breathe." 

"Well that's okay, at least the rest of you's warm. He says we can work back in the hangar tomorrow   
too." 

Orion was pleased at that news, and curled up in the blanket to sleep. 

Chapter 15 

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	15. Chapter 15

15 

Things went mostly the same for the next few months. Life for a slave does not often vary. In the spring, Hyder got his chains off, and was now able to be without manacles or leg irons. Orion had watched somewhat jealously as Blackmoor removed his friend's bonds, but he did not dare say anything. 

Hyder did, though. He asked Blackmoor if Orion's would be taken off as well, and the jackal had only   
looked at him malevolently for questioning him and he did not ask again. Later he told Orion that he would   
probably get his off soon too, but the cub was not too enthusiastic. 

Spring became summer once more, marking a year Orion had been at the labor camp. He was now six,   
Hyder nine. Orion did not cry for his parents every night anymore, only sometimes if something reminded him   
of them. He had settled into the routine of the place, and gotten to know just what he could and could not get   
away with, the things he could get away with was small compared to most the others. But still he managed. 

Over the months, Orion and Hyder were given many different tasks to do here and there. Orion was   
finally sent back to the mines every now and then, but now he was terrified of them, and did not often do well.   
Blackmoor only sent him there when he did something wrong. 

In the middle of the fall, Orion did get the shackles and the leg irons taken off, months after his   
friend. He looked down at his wrists, which often were rubbed raw or bled from the metal, and rubbed them   
numbly. After over a year of wearing them, it felt strange to have them off, and now he could move his arms   
farther apart than a foot and a half, which is as long as the chain was. 

"Well don't just stand there staring like a moron, brat, get to work!" Blackmoor shoved the child   
outside of his office as he spoke. "Next week you'll be serving at a dinner I am having with a few other higher   
ranking Mutants. You'd best be on your best behavior or you'll be in more trouble that you can handle. Be   
ready for it." 

The cub stumbled and fell, having to get used to walking without being restrained again, but that was not   
what he was worried about as he sought out his friend at the junkyard, and told him what Blackmoor had said. 

"Oh one of the other slaves said Blackmoor does that every year. He has a bunch of other Mutants, like General   
Rataro, and some of his officers, and Governor Jackalron, and...' He stopped when he saw Orion had no idea   
who these Mutants were. Of course not, he was from a different planet. "Well it doesn't really matter. They're   
just other Mutants. Just be really good and you should be fine." 

"Well, okay..." Orion was still uncertain as he rooted in a pile of junk for an air circulator. 

"He wants you to serve? He doesn't like cats though...oh, I bet he wants to show you off." He blinked   
as he noticed that Orion was not bound. "Hey! you don't have chains on anymore!" 

Orion suddenly grinned at this notice. He had been too worried about what Blackmoor had said to tell   
his friend at first. "That's why I was in his office...I thought I-I was in trouble for something. but I wasn't." 

Hyder laughed. "Cool! Now you can run better and climb and stuff." 

Orion nodded, and then made an exclamation. "Hey I found it!" He pulled at a large piece of   
equipment under the junk pile. Hyder had to help him get it out, but they managed to get it back to the   
mechanic they were helping. "Wh-what's he gonna make me do?" Orion asked his friend as they headed back   
outside to search once more. 

"Well, just...serve. Like serve the drinks and serve food and stuff. you just give it to his guests, and   
don't drop anything on anyone." Hyder laughed. "It would be funny to see...but you'd get in trouble," 

Orion laughed a little bit. he'd actually like to see some hot soup or something get spilled on them. Or   
trecka syrup, that was extremely sticky and did not easily wash off. "Yeah, I wish I could do something so   
that it spilled on them, but I did it from far away so they wouldn't know it was me." 

"Maybe you could make a little catapult, and put the food on it, and hold the string from the other room, and pull it." Hyder laughed. "Then you could drop the string and leave." 

"Yeah!" Orion giggled as he listened to this idea. He would never try such a thing, but it was fun to talk   
about. What slaves did not talk about their masters behind their backs? "Or use a slingshot to shoot it at them then pretend you don't know where it came from." 

The boys came up with a few other bizarre ways to launch or drop food at their masters as they worked,   
stilling the talk when they went inside. 

The next few days went, more or less. Nothing extraordinary happened; Orion and Hyder only worked   
in the junkyard the whole time. And that kept them happy...as happy as they could get in the slave compound. 

It was their favorite work, and depending on what mechanic they were assisting at the time, they got little   
breaks here and there. One day, they'd been working with Phiron again, and he'd given them each a piece of   
something he called chocolate from his home world. Neither of the cubs had ever heard of it, but when they   
tasted the sweet candy, both fell in love with it. "Wow...this is good!" Hyder said, as Phiron looked on amusedly. 

"Yep, I think so," he said, as he munched on his own piece. 

Orion's face broke into a grin as he ate the chocolate. "It tasted almost like jentt...that's on Thundera."   
He bit his lip, then shook his head, banishing his sudden longing for home. He was sadly finding it easier and   
easier to do so. "But not the same. It's softer and it's sweeter too." 

Phiron chuckled. "Master Blackmoor let me order some from my home planet, called Tispitii, as a   
reward for working hard this month." He sat back in his chair. "And boy...I sure missed it." He looked a little   
wistful himself. 

"How...how long have you been ehre?" Hyder asked. 

"Twenty three years." 

Both cubs' eyes widened. "Twenty three?" Orion said. He had been there for much much longer than   
Orion had even been alive! He thought that one year was bad...the cub didn't think he could stand twenty   
three. 

Phiron nodded, hs eyes blank as he thought about his home. "Yes. The Plundaarians were invading; they are power hungry. They captured children and women..." he'd only been three at the time. 

Seeing that he was upsetting the two young cubs, he smiled. "But don't worry about that, kiddos. Why   
don't you go and see if you can find me a wing stabilizer for a Skycutter? I'll show you how they work." he   
grinned and added confidentially, "Just don't tell anyone." 

"We won't!" both of them vowed in unison, and ran off. 

"Well? Are you ready, slave?" The week had gone by very fast, _too_ fast for Orion. The young 

Thunderian was very nervous this day. It was the afternoon, and he had been working in the morning unloading   
a transport full of supplies for the compound. Blackmoor had surprised him, coming up behind him to ask if   
he was ready. 

Orion jumped and spun around, looking up at him, but then remembering to cast his eyes down. "I-I   
guess so, M-master..." He hoped the uncertain answer would not get him in trouble. 

Blackmoor might have normally whapped him upside the head, but now only chuckled amusedly.   
"Well you'd better be ready, Orion. If you mess up tonight, you will be very unhappy." 

"Y-yes, M-master." His stutter became worse when talking to the jackal. 

"Get over to my manor." Blackmoor lived in the compound, in a large manor right in the middle.   
"Knock on the door and tell Yevri that I said to get you into more suitable clothing. Then get back here to the   
loading dock to let me look you over." 

After answering, Orion did just that, and apprehensively stepped in the gates, and headed for the front   
door. He'd never been there before, and he could not shake the feeling that he was doing something wrong. 

When he stood on his toes to use the heavy knocker, a tall, willowy, pale reptile answered it. "Yes?" he said   
emotionlessly. 

"I-I-I'm Orion," the child said uncertainly. "M-master B-Blackmoor said to tell Yevri to get me something to wear..." 

The reptile nodded and gestured for him to come in. "I am Yevri. Follow me." 

TImidly, the cub followed. 

He was led to a bright room with a lot of different uniform type looking outfits. Yevri looked through the   
room until he found a small sized suit of dark gray material, with gold braiding on it. It was long sleeved jacket   
and pants. "Here. Put these on." 

Being Thunderian, Orion was not shy about stripping in front of others. In fact if he had had a choice, he   
wouldn't be wearing clothing, period. He donned the uniform, and Yevri looked it over. "Turn around," he said   
gruffly, and when Orion did, the reptile made a noise of aggravation. "Why aren't you an inch taller?" he grumbled, as he got out a needle and thread. 

Feeling a mild indignation that he did not dare express, Orion held still while the less-than-friendl;y   
reptile altered the cuffs of the pants. "There. now go show Blackmoor so I can keep the blasted thing hung up." 

"Yes, sir," Orion grumbled, and left the house. 

Blackmoor nodded as the little slave ran back, and approached him cautiously. "You may look at me." 

Orion did so, and Blackmoor gave him the once over. "All right, it looks satisfactory. Go and have Yevri keep   
this one for you, then bathe in one of the slaves' showers. Then report to the kitchen and get something to do   
there." The meals were already being prepared, and the menus set. Orion would work getting things ready until   
it was time for him to serve Blackmoor's guests. 

"Y-yes, M-master," Orion said, and scampered off. 

Orion helped the older slaves cook and prepare for most of the afternoon. When evening came, and   
Orion was again dressed in the gray uniform, Blackmoor came in and told the child that he and another of the   
younger slaves were to go out into the dining room and stand, and if any one of the guests told them to fetch   
something, that they were to do it immediately. "Do a good job, and you will be rewarded. Do a bad job..."   
and here he looked at Orion, "...and you will be very unhappy. Now get out there." 

Nervously. Orion crept into the main dining hall, and stood at one end. The other youth stood at the other, and both were ready to serve the guests as they came in. One of the adults was at the entrance to take overgarments, coats, cloaks, that kind of thing. 

The young slaves were pretty much ignored as the Mutants came filing in, but Orion raised his eyebrows   
as he saw General Rataro, a face he now recognized from a couple of books that Hyder had showed him. He   
stared at the Mutant, feeling more nervous now that he saw just how important the guests were. but then he forgot all about the rat when every one of the guests stood up, and Blackmoor went to the front of the room. 

"Good evening, Your Majesty," he said, and went to one knee as a gesture of respect. Orion's jaw dropped. he   
had never seen Blackmoor kneel, not in the whole time he had been there. And "Your Majesty"? Was this the   
king? As the boy crept to the side a little bit so that he could see, his eyes widened further. It was the king!   
Oh lords, now he was scared. What if he messed up? Why was the king here anyway? Hyder hadn't warned   
him about that! 

The king bowed his head, and Blackmoor stood. The king was a Reptilian, but slimmer than most, and   
with well defined muscles. He was a colorful metallic green and gold, with splashed of red or blue ehre and   
there. he was dressed simply, but elegantly, with a long, comfortable looking robe of dark green and gold. He   
wore no shoes, no head gear, and carried a powerful sword at his side. He was flanked by four of his servants. 

Wow, Orion thought. He was impressive looking, that was for sure. "Thank you for your invitation, Blackmoor," the king said. "I believe this is the first time I have been here." 

"Thank you for accepting my invitation, your majesty," Blackmoor's replied. The jackal gestured to the   
end of the table. "Please have a seat. Drinks will soon be served. What is your preference?" 

"Some jek wine will do nicely I think." It was among the finest wines on the planet. 

"Of course. Orion! Get the king a goblet of jek, and make it fast!" 

The boy winced and hurried into the kitchen. Blackmoor was not to be crossed this evening, that was   
for sure. 

Once inside, he went up to one of the cooks. "There's a king in there!" he exclaimed, looking panicked.   
"I-I have to get him jek wine...I don't know which one it is, i can't read!" If he wasn't fast, he'd get into trouble. 

"Easy, cat. Jek's the blue wine up on that shelf." Hadn't Blackmoor even told him what was expected   
of him? "Get that goblet, and the bottle, take them out on the silver tray. When you get to the table, pour the   
wine into the goblet and leave the bottle there. You take care you don't spill it, understand?" The slave spoke   
kindly, but he wanted to make sure the child didn't do anything to get himself hurt. 

Orion nodded, and took the tray. Biting his lip, he carefully made his way out the door, which the older   
slave held open for him. Trying not to look anyone in the eye lest he get in trouble for it, he timidly approached   
the king. how did you address a king again. Your Majesty? Or was he supposed to call him sir? Or was he   
even supposed to talk to him at all? The child thought this to be best. He wouldn't say anything unless the king   
spoke to him first. 

Risking a quick glance to the colorful Reptilian, Orion stood on his toes to set the tray on the high table. 

With some difficulty, he got the wine bottle open and managed to pour it without spilling the wine. While the   
other Mtuatns conversed, the king looked amusedly at the young slave. "So," he said, his voice deep and powerful. but he spoke quietly this time. "You seem to be a good worker. What is your name?" 

Oh, he would have to ask him something wouldn't he? now Orion didn't know what to say!   
"O-Orion, s-sir..." he stammered. 

"Orion," came the warning tone from the other side of the table. He swallowed hard and looked to see   
Blackmoor glaring at him. Now he was in for it! "You are speaking to the king of this entire planet, wretch,   
show him the proper respect!" 

"B-b-but..I-I don't know how—" 

"Kneel! Stupid child." 

Not wanting to anger him further, Orion knelt on the floor as he had seen Blackmoor do, and lowered   
his head. He really did want to do right, he just didn't know how. 

"It's all right,. Blackmoor," the king said, his tone still low. He was known as a strong, powerful king,   
respected by most. He was ruthless, or could be. He could be cruel when he was getting what he wanted. But   
he was not a man for hurting children. "Get up, Orion," he told the little Thunderian. "I   
am not angry with you. When you speak to a king, you are to call him 'Your Majesty' or 'Your Excellency'.   
Do you think you can remember that?" His tone was firm, but not unkind. 

Excellency, he didn't think he could remember. Majesty, he could, even if it was in Plundaarian. "Yes,   
si—I-I mean Your M-majesty," he whispered. 

"Good boy." The reptile patted him on the head. "Now go on and serve the others, they are waiting to   
be given their drinks." 

Orion nodded and gratefully slipped in amongst the guests. The other wines and refreshmnts were   
already set out on the table, and Orion poured out whatever the others told him they wanted. They ahd to point   
it out for him, and a few smacked him in the head for what they thought of as stupidity, but he got through that   
with little trouble. 

Once the drinks were served, he was told to get back into the kitchen until the appetizers were brought   
out. He willingly did so, glad to be away from the imposing guests. 

With a sigh, he flopped down on the floor. "I don't like this very much" he said to the other young   
slave. She was a human, about twelve years old. 

"I know," she said. "It's not really easy the first time. This is the third one I've been serving at." she   
shrugged. "It gets easier once you know what to do. But we can rest until the appetizers are ready, then we   
have to serve them. And then we can sit down again or do whatever until it's time for dinner. And then   
dessert's after. Then when they all leave we have to clean up. I never saw the king before, though. I wonder   
why he's here." 

Orion nodded, a little more relieved now that he knew what they had to do. "H-he didn't tell me anything, just told me to serve...I didn't know what to do then he got mad at me." 

"Oh yeah, well that's the king. When you first go up to him you have to kneel to him like Blackmoor   
did..." The human girl caught an stern look from one of the other humans, and quickly amended, "_Master_   
Blackmoor..." Then she leaned over and whispered ot Orion, "He's a master pain, he is." 

The cub giggled, agreeing with her with a nod of the head. 

The appetizers turned out to be a large bowl of some kind of fancy looking fried bread that was put in   
the middle of the table, and salads for each of the guests. When dinner came, it was some kind of roast meat,   
vegetables, potatoes, and all manner of side dishes. This took a long time to bring out. The king had requested   
a different kind of side dish, a specially prepared plate of jorick fruit. Jorick fruit was a round purplish fruit that   
was very sweet, whose seeds were pollinated by the deadly ants. Orion didn't like the ants very much, but the   
fruit he loved! He'd only had it once, but it was very sweet. 

He was carrying this out, not able to see the floor through the tray he carried it on. As he walked from   
the door, he made a mistake. He tripped on the ornate rug, and sprawled headlong on the floor. The fruit crashed into the wall. The room went silent, and Orion's face turned red as he crept to pick up the mess. 

But Blackmoor growled and stood abruptly from the chair. He had expected this party to go off without   
a hitch. "You clumsy, worthless little bastard," he growled in a low tone as he approached the child. 

Orion stood and backed hastily away from him, backing himself into a corner. "I-I'm s-sorry,   
M-master...I-I didn't mean to—" 

But Blackmoor had taken his whip from his belt, and angrily struck Orion with it, across the face. The   
cub screamed, and put a hand to his cheek, which had been laid open by the blow. "I give you the chance to   
serve the king himself, and you even screw that up. Can't you do anything right, Orion?" he spat out the name   
as if it were a curse. 

Most of the guests watched this scene with amusement, and some only looked mildly at the pair. He   
king frowned slightly. He was never an overly lenient man, but thought Blackmoor's reaction a little severe.   
He did not know how much the jackal disliked the little slave. "It's all right, Blackmoor," he said in his quiet   
tone. "I can wait a couple more moments, I know it does not take long to prepare. The child can bring it out to   
me again." 

Blackmoor had been ready to strike the cowering child again, but at his king's words, lowered the whip.   
"As you wish, Your Majesty," he said, shooting Orion a dark look. "I wanted to show him off to you, but he   
seems to want to give me trouble, even now." Reluctantly, the jackal sat back down. "Well don't just stand   
there bawling, Orion!" he snarled. "Go and tell the cook you screwed up, and get the king another plate!" 

Orion ran into the kitchen, shakily closing the door. Those inside, were wondering what had happened,   
and the jackal that had helped him with the jek went up to him. "Oh, kkrekk," he said with a sigh, and knelt   
next to the cub. "Shhh, it's all right. I know it hurts, let me look at it. What happened, little one?" 

The boy whimpered as the jackal touched his swollen cheek. He had bled onto his uniform already, and   
he figured that Blackmoor would be mad about that too. "Jeez, he got you good. Let me wash it off. really   
quick. It'll hurt, but I'll put some ice on it when you get back, all right?" Orion nodded slowly, still hitching in   
his chest as he sobbed quietly. He cried out a few times as the jackal hastily cleaned the slash mark, trying to   
be as gentle as he could, while the cook prepared another serving of the fruit. 

As the human girl came in after cleaning up the mess out there, she whispered to Orion, "Better be   
really good the rest of the night, or Black...Master Blackmoor's gonna be really mad at you. He's not too mad   
now anymore." 

Biting his lip, Orion took the tray again, and shakily stepped out of the door, now dreading going out   
there again. As he slowly approached the head of the table, Rataro grinned maliciously, and stuck his tail out in   
the middle of the floor. Orion stumbled, and just barely managed to keep from spilling anything. He shot the   
rat a half hurt, half angry look before continuing. 

When the boy set the plate up without incident, the king smiled at him. "Good boy," he said, and   
looked at his face. "Go on in the back and see if someone can tend that for you, all right?" he said. "Do a good   
job the rest of the night, and I am sure your master won't punish you." 

Orion whispered his answer, as it hurt to talk, and slunk away. he knew some of them were laughing at   
him. 

Once inside, the jackal led the little boy to the freezer, and took out some ice. He put it in a bag, and   
told Orion to hold it lightly to the side of his face. He would ask Blackmoor later if he'd allow Orion to see the   
healer. But for now he had him hold the ice on his cheek to keep the swelling down and numb the pain. Orion   
did so gladly. 

He had to go out once more to help serve dessert, and gave some ice cream to Rataro and a few others. 

Then he only peered out the kitchen door as everyone left. He sat down again and put the melting ice to his face, and was there when the last of Blackmoor's guests left, and he came into the kitchen. 

He walked up to Orion, who shrank back from him. The jackal glared at him a moment, then shook his   
head. "It seems His Majesty has taken a liking to you wretch. That is the only reason I am not beating the   
living hell out of you. Not knowing what else to say, Orion remained silent. Blackmoor nodded. "Since that   
was the only mistake that you made, and your behavior was otherwise exemplary, you may eat with the other   
slaves." 

Surprised that not only was Blackmoor not punishing him, but allowing him to partake in whatever   
reward that he was giving to the slaves, Orion only whispered his answer. 

"All right, slaves. you did well this evening. Once the dishes are taken back and washed, whatever is in   
the serving bowls and on the counters, you may make your dinners from. When you are finished, you may go to   
your quarters." With that, the jackal left for his own home. 

"Come on, little one, let's get to work. Then we'll get you a nice big dinner with some cake. Sounds   
good to you?" 

Orion didn't reply aloud, but nodded eagerly to the cook, and went out to help. 

Once everything was cleaned, the nine slaves that had worked on the banquet made up their dinners of   
the fine food that Blackmoor would just have thrown away. The jackal helped Orion fill his pate with part of   
the roasted meat, and some vegetables, and some of the delicious bread that was served. To a child that was   
never fed as much as he should be, it was a feast. 

The cub ate all the food, and a little more, before the jackal laughed and told him to save room for   
dessert. He gave the boy a large slice of what was left of the cake. Even after all the slaves had taken a piece,   
there was some left, and that was thrown away. 

It was the best thing Orion had tested in a long time, and he happily ate it. 

Afterwards, when the last plate had been cleaned, Orion was very tired, and his face hurt a lot. but he   
was somewhat happy. 

The cook had convinced Blackmoor to let Orion be tended by the healer, and he was given a painkiller   
for the night, and his cheek was stitched up. The lash was bad, and would leave a scar, but at least it was not   
open. At the end of the night, Orion flopped, exhausted, in his cell. Hyder awoke at the sound and asked how it   
went, and Orion told him everything that had happened. The little hyena expressed his indignation at   
Blackmoor's striking Orion, but seemed impressed that the king liked him. "He doesn't like cats very much   
either," he said. "Wow, that's something!" 

Orion grinned, but winced when the action hurt his cheek. "Yeah...h-he's kind of nice. He kept me   
from getting beat, too." 

In his cell, Hyder nodded. "Even master Blackmoor wouldn't dare defy the king." 

"I'm glad. Where are we working tomorrow?" 

"I think we have cart duty." 

Orion groaned, but at least it wasn't the mines. Closing his eyes, and drawing the blanket up around his   
ears, the child went to sleep. 

Hyder comforting the disappointed orion, who still wears chains.   
Hyder and Orion 

Chapter 16 

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	16. Chapter 16

16 

Orion recovered in time. He always recovered in time. But this time, Blackmoor's whip had left a scar on   
his face, that after two years was still visible. Orion's fur was short, except on his chest and back, and midsection. The whip scars there were covered, mostly, but the one one on his face could be seen. 

At eight, he still slept in the tiny stone cell, winter or summer. He had the coarse, thick blanket for winter,   
which was something at least. The cement was hard and cold to sleep on, and the blanket was welcome. A   
month ago, Hyder, now eleven, had been told that he had been good enough to sleep in the slave dorm. It was a   
large room with many cots, each with a small, stationary metal trunk next to it. It was heated in the winter, cooled in the summer; only enough to make it somewhat comfortable, but it was enough. 

Blackmoor had said the little hyena had been there long enough to deserve this, but Hyder had asked if he   
may decline so that he could stay by Orion. 

"What the hell do you want to stay with that worthless piece of trash for?" Blackmoor had demanded. Orion,   
who had been with Hyder in the workyard when he was approached by their master, looked down. He wanted   
so much to say he wasn't trash, but he did not dare. Blackmoor would have beaten him for it. 

"H-he's my friend, Master Blackmoor," Hyder answered, looking at the ground as Orion was. "I-I'd like to   
stay by him if I can, master." 

"He's dirt. You will sleep in the dorm with the other normal slaves." Those who were new to the place were   
lower than any other slaves that lived there. Of course felines were considered as such much longer than were   
Mutants. Even hyenas. 

Hyder clenched his fists and stared angrily at the ground as Blackmoor walked away. Slowly looking up, hurt   
at what Blackmoor had said about his best friend, the hyena spoke. "He's not dirt! Or trash! he's my best friend...I don't care if he's a cat, he's still a better friend than any Mutants ever were to me!"   
In the middle of the workyard, the few slaves that were still outside wisely ignored the encounter. Orion,   
wide eyed, gaped at Hyder. The young cat felt a mixture of gratitude for his friend's loyalty and fear of what   
Blackmoor would do. 

At first the jackal said nothing. he only stopped walking and stood straight, his back still to Hyder. Then he   
slowly turned. 

Both Hyder and Orion gulped, and backed away, as the jackal approached them They could tell that he was   
furious. His calm, piercing, intense gaze made his orange eyes seem to glow; his carefully poised posture conveyed his angry tenseness. But when Orion would have been stammering a fearful apology, Hyder only returned the slaver's gaze. He was afraid, but surer than his younger friend. 

Blackmoor looked fiercely down at the pair of young slaves. "What did you say to me, Hyder?" he asked, his   
voice a low, intense growl. 

Despite himself, Hyder backed away another step. "I-I s-s-said O-Orion's not trash, he's my friend! A-and I   
want to stay with him!" 

Blackmoor growled, took Orion by the manacles, and yanked him several feet away. Then he grabbed Hyder   
by his strip of mane. "You dare talk to me like that, you miserable slave!!" 

"B-but...I-I...I just..." 

"Silence!" Blackmoor's furious voice stilled any further protest from the young hyena as he was roughly   
dragged towards the other end of the workyard. Fearful for his friend, Orion timidly followed at a distance.   
Blackmoor was moving along at a good clip, and Orion was too afraid to follow too closely. he lost them   
for a moment, but then realized they were headed for the tiny cells that they slept in. He knew there was a   
discipline chamber in there, he had heard many slaves being hurt in there for their mistakes in the years he'd   
slept there. 

Nervously he crept inside, not daring to go inside the room itself. He cowered in one of the empty cells, the   
others mostly occupied by slaves that had finished working for the day. He heard nothing for a long time but   
some labored sounding breathing. Then a sound of chains, and a nervous sounding whimper. There was   
something low, growled by Blackmoor, then the sound that always made Orion cringe: the sound of a whip   
cracking. He heard Hyder scream in pain, then heard the whip fall again. He knew quite well enough what was   
happening, and put his hands over his ears as he crouched in the cell. 

He could block out the whip cracks, but Hyder's high pitched cries were not so easily blocked. He bit his lip,   
shaking as he crouched there. He regretted having followed the pair; he hated seeing others being hurt, especially Hyder. 

After what seemed a very loong time to Orion, he heard nothing more. He took his hands from his ears, not   
realizing he'd been crying. He heard some low growled words from the jackal, and a whimpered reply from the   
young hyena. 

Then the cub heard Blackmoor's heavy, stalking footsteps go down the hallway. As he passed Orion's cell,   
he stopped, then spun around angrily. Horrified, Orion stood up hastily and backed up to the back of the little   
stone room. "What are you doing in here, Orion?" Blackmoor growled. 

"I-I-I was only...I-I mean I just wanted to see...t-to see what would happen to Hyder, M-master..." The frightened cub could barely get the words out through his fear. 

Blackmoor scowled and stepped forward, punching the boy viciously across the face, and sending him   
sprawling across the little cell. the cub yelped sharply, and the jackal lifted him by his throat. "I don't ever want   
to see you follow me unless it is ordered, is that understood, filth?" 

Not able to get enough breath to reply aloud, Orion nodded frantically, and Blackmoor threw him to the   
ground. The child landed on the floor, gasping for air. He curled up when Blackmoor kicked him in the upper   
leg with his spike tipped boot. "It's your fault he got punished, you miserable ungrateful shit! Get back to work. There's a few hours left in the night, you're in the mines for a week. Now go!!" 

Orion nodded timidly and limped out the door, glancing back only once to the doorway he knew hs injured   
friend was behind. Holding a hand to the deep puncture in his thigh, he reluctantly approached the mines. 

Orion did not see Hyder again for a month, and was very worried about him. he began to wonder if   
maybe Blackmoor had sold him or something, or even killed him. 

But then one day as he was working the carts, a vast improvement over the mines, he saw the young   
hyena. Hyder had fianlly been allowed again to work with his younger friend, and acted more subdued than normal. He looked at Orion, then back at the ground. "Hi, Orion..." 

"H-Hyder! Hyder, are you okay? I'm sorry, Hyder, I didn't mean to get you in trouble." 

"Get moving, you little shits!" The taskmaster that was supervising the pair snapped his whip near their   
heads; the sound alone got them moving. Orion noticed that Hyder cringed too. 

As they began to push the heavy, two-man cart, Hyder shook his head. "It's not your fault. And you   
shouldn't be sorry. I-I'd do it again if I had to..." The young hyena scowled at the ground s he spoke. 

Right then, Orion felt like he would do anything for Hyder. Never since he had been there had he seen   
someone act with such loyalty towards him. Even on Thundera, there had been no one he knew who would have declined an offer of better treatment to stay with him. None but his parents. "Thanks," the young Thunderian whispered. 

For the first time, Hyder looked up and gave Orion a sideways smile. "Lots of Mutants say hyenas are   
the worst Mutants. They say we'd sell out our own mothers." Orion didn't understand the phrase, but listened   
intently. "But I stick with my friends. I'm loyal. Not even Blackmoor can make me not." 

Orion smiled too. "Me too." And it was true. Loyalty was, after all, part of the Code of Thundera.   
And even if it was not...it was still right. And Hyder was his best friend. The young cat looked Hyder over and   
winced at the scars. "H-he got you really good, huh?" he said, biting his lip. 

Hyder's expression also darkened. "Yeah...Orion, I'm scared." He was looking at the ground again   
but with an expression Orion had never seen on him before. Lost maybe, without hope. Afraid. It scared him a   
little as well. "I never had a master that was so mean...that hurt me as much...I don't know how you do ti." 

Orion blinked. "D-do what?" 

"How you take it! Blackmoor hurts you a lot more than he hurts me, just because you're a   
Thunderian...but...but you come back every time. Like once it's healed you forget it..." 

Orion also looked down and shook his head. "I-I don't forget...I don't ever forget. I sure wish I   
could..." He bit his lip again. "I just...I push it in another part of my brain." It was as close as he could get to   
explaining what he meant. "I try to forget about it..." 

Hyder nodded. "Yeah...you look like you do. Even when you're really scared, or if you're mad or if yuo   
feel bad because one of the jerks called you something really bad, you don't show it. You don't ever let them   
know what you feel...wish I could do that. I wish I could be as brave." 

Orion blinked, shocked at what Hyder had said. He did not think himself brave, he thought he was a   
coward. A worthless coward...after all, when you heard it all the time over three years, he begins to hear it. He   
felt like a coward for shaking whenever Blackmoor came near him. He felt like a coward for begging when   
he thought he would be hurt for something. he felt like a coward for not speaking up for himself... but Hyder's   
one remark made him think very differently. He had always thought the hyena was the brave one, always   
seeming so confident. but Hyder was not used to harsh treatment...Orion sadly was. And over the years had   
been able to perfect the act of not showing his feelings on his face. It was safer that way, when a taskmaster   
would smack you if he even thought you were thinking something bad about them. 

He was not sure how to answer that. 

But no answer was really needed at the moment as the two friends pushed their cart. They knew each   
other well enough by now that they knew what the other was thinking, or at least how they felt. 

After a week or so, both cubs were back to their normal selves, being with each other helping a great   
deal in this. Three months after the incident, Blackmoor had even let them go back to working in the hangars. 

He had just added a new one with a huge parts/junk yard in the back. Hyder and Orion were delighted about it. 

"Wow, I didn't know this was here!" Orion said as he and the hyena entered it. 

"It wasn't. Blackmoor just put it in, Remember where the rock pile was?" Orion nodded. "That's   
where he put it. he didn't need the rock anymore because he'd done with all his building. i heard one of the   
taskmasters saying that he might get more land, but not for a year." 

Orion did not really care about the jackal's business dealings, but was happy about the junkyard. It   
had tons of stuff to look through, and during one of the rare occasions he got some free time before dinner, this   
would be a great place to spend it. 

"What are we looking for anyway?" Hyder asked. 

Orion shrugged. "I think we have to check in the hangar." 

The pair poked their heads in and saw that the hangar was also larger than the others. many other slaves   
were in there, helping the mechanics or going for food or drink. "Hey look, it's Phiron!" The two boys ran   
up to him, and the human looked down at them with a friendly smile. "How come you're here now?" Hyder asked.   
Phiron chuckled. "I asked Master Blackmoor if I could be moved to the new hanger. I wanted to be   
moved, and he agreed." 

Orion grinned. "We got moved here too. At least today anyway." 

Phiron laughed. "Well since I just got here you want to show me where things are?" 

"Well we just got here too...we're supposed to find someone to help." 

"Well you know what? I need help. I need help finding things here. You guys see a Bladebike   
anywhere?" Blade bikes were nasty hovercraft that ran inches off the ground. A large spinning blade at the   
front gave it its name; it almost looked like a giant chain saw 

The cubs scanned the hangar, looking for the bike, which was what Phiron was supposed to be working   
on. THere five of them that needed repair. "There!" Orion said. he did not often spot things first, since Hyder   
knew more about the vehicles,. But he had learned a lot. 

Phiron grinned. "Good for you! let's go check it out." 

After they'd looked the bikes over, and Phiron determined what he needed, he sent his two young   
companions out to find the items. There was a long list, and he had deliberately made it as long as he could to   
give the boys some time to explore. he knew how miserable they were,. He wanted to let them have a little fun   
at least. 

"You think we'll find this all here?" Orion asked. 

"I bet we will...this lot's huge! WHOA! Look, Orion!' All of a sudden Hyder took off. Frowning in   
puzzlement, the feline ran after him. "I can't believe it!" 

Hyder voice was coming from behind a large pile of Skycutter landing wheels. Orion climbed it and   
peered down. "Where are you---oh there you are! Hey cool!" Orion ran over to where Hyder sat on a nearly completed bike-type vehicle of some kind. "What is it? Does it work?" 

"I don't think so, there's some parts missing. But Orion, this is a 13-5 class Razor bike! This is one of   
the newest ones they have, and there's not a lot! I sure wish I could ride this!" 

Orion was not sure why it made this particular vehicle so special, but he couldn't help but grin. Hyder's   
enthusiasm was catching. he hopped on the back. "Hey, I bet that this could rip a whole tree in half." 

Hyder laughed. "I bet it could!" he put his hands on the handles and made a motor noise. "Watch out,   
Lunattacks!" he cried, pretending to fight an army of them. "You're no match for the hekti team!" Hekti was   
a word in Plundaarian that meant friend. There were many words for friend, but hekti meant a true friend, one   
you would die for. 

"Yeah!" Orion agreed. He was not sure what else would be said in a battle with Lunatatcks, so he stayed   
quiet and let Hyder do the threatening. 

A few minutes into this pretend-play, a taskmaster poked his head around to see what all the noise was   
about. Orion and Hyder looked up sheepishly. "Get to work, you miserable little punks," the jackal Mutant said irritably. His gray fur bristled in annoyance. "Before I thrash ya." 

The cubs got back to work in a hurry. 

"Surprised you knew what that was," said a voice as the pair was rooting through a pile of junk for what   
they needed. 

Hyder looked up to meet the gaze of a simian Mutant of about fourteen. "Oh yeah? What's that supposed to mean?" 

"The teenage slave held up a hand in mild protest. "Don't get your fur raised. Just not many hyenas   
are good with mechanics." He gave the kids an amused grin and held up the part they had been looking for.   
"Here." 

Hyder's scowl deepened, and he took the part, his face turning a little red. "I was just about to grab   
that," he told the smug Mutants. Orion watched with some interest, feeling defensive for Hyder. 

"Sure, I was just getting it for ya." The simian grinned and left for another junk pile. 

"He sure is smug," Hyder said grumpily. "He thinks he's pretty smart." 

Orion shrugged. "At least he found the part, I couldn't find it. Come on let's get the other stuff." 

Over the next few days, the simian showed up here and there, offering advice or trying to help. But he   
had a smug attitude, and Hyder didn't like him at all. one day, while Orion was in the hangar helping Phiron fix   
something that only his little hands could reach (and feeling pretty proud at being asked to do it) they both   
heard a commotion in the junkyard. There was a voice that sounded like Hyder! Frowning, Phiron got up and   
ran for the yard, and Orion scampered after him. The Thunderian cb was surprised to see that Hyder was rolling   
on the ground in a fight with the older Mutant! The simian was bigger and stronger than Hyder was, but that   
didn't stop the little hyena from fighting like an angry swarm of jorick ants! 

"Hey!" Phiron's strong voice cut through the fight-shouts, and one strong human hand each reached out   
to grab a neck scruff. He picked Hyder up easily, but the young simian was stronger than a human, as most simians were at that age. he pulled away and glared at Hyder. 

"okay what's this about?" Phiron demanded. A taskmaster, seeing the trusted slave had things under   
control, went on his way to less exciting things. 

"He won't leave me alone!" Hyder accused. "He thinks he's so smart, always telling me all the stuff   
he'd done and that he always knows everything!" The simian was knowledgeable, but he was also smug. And   
Hyder didn't like people knowing more than him anyway. 

"And so you punched him." Satisfied that Hyder wouldn't attack again, he set the cub down. 

"No I pushed him and told him to go away. He punched me!" 

"You called me a jatiirk!" The simian spoke up. 

Phiron sighed. "Look boys. i don't want to see you fighting again, I don't care what it's about.   
Tamarin, leave Hyder alone if he doesn't want you around, and Hyder, ignore him! No one said you ahd to   
listen. you two go to the mines or the rest of the day..." Phiron looked over to a taskmaster to make sure that   
this was all right, and got a nod of approval. "Hyder you can see Orion tomorrow. Go on." He paused, then   
added, "If Master Blackmoor saw you two fighting like that, you'd both be in bigger trouble than that."   
That statement sobered the tempers of the two brawlers, and they both sullenly left the junkyard. 

"How come you made them leave?" Orion asked Phiron as they returned to the hangar. He was   
disappointed. 

""If I hadn't punished them somehow, then the report would just have gotten to Blackmoor anyway,   
or a high ranking taskmaster." When no supervisors were around, Phiron rarely used the jackal's title. "And   
he would punish them. Working in the mines for a day is pretty mild i comparison." 

Orion nodded at the logic of this, but he still did not like it. But as he worked with the human, his mood improved. 

Chapter 17 

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	17. Chapter 17

17 

Orion had not eaten in days. It was spring once again, and he was working in the mines, a sentence that   
he had to live with for a month. It had not even been his fault this time, it had just been an accident. But business was not going well these last months for Blackmoor, and it put him in a foul mood. 

The cub had been working in the kitchen, helping the cooks prepare supper for all the slaves in the   
complex since all the low ranking ones that was. The higher ranking ones were fed a better grade of food than the   
lower ones. Hyder was cleaning dishes for the meal and Orion was helping peel potatoes. he liked potatoes,   
and was glad that they would be fed them. 

He had snitched a couple pieced as he peeled them, and those in the kitchen didn't mind. They weren't   
the type to tattle. Had Gresh been there, now he would have tattled. Gresh was a suck-up slave who always   
did exactly as he was told to get in good with Blackmoor. It usually worked too. Even if something was not   
Orion's fault when dealing with the slave, he was usually the one punished, not Gresh. 

But he was not here. 

Tamarin, the simian that Hyder had gotten into a fight with was there as well, and the simian had made   
friends with Hyder and Orion the next day, and for next few weeks they had spent time getting to know each   
other. Although they were not together as much, as Tamarin was so much older, they were friends. 

Orion was watching the simian juggle three glasses with combined admiration and fear. If Tamarin   
dropped them he'd be in big trouble. But he didn't, and everyone in the kitchen applauded. "If i did that,   
I'd break them all," Orion said in Plundaarian. The child now used the native language almost more than Basic.   
He had forgotten all he had learned of his own native language. 

Tamarin grinned at him as the adult Orion had been helping set the potatoes on the stove to cook. it was   
a huge pot, and it had taken a while to get them all peeled. 

"Let me try," Orion said, then as Tamarin handed him the glasses, quickly amended, "With something   
that won't break." boy, he could imagine the consequences for that! 

Tamarin shook his head. "Chicken," he said, but he did get some plastic cups for the cub to try, two at   
first. "Here let me show you how with only two cups." 

And so for the next hour or so, while the food that had been prepared cooked, Tamarin showed Orion   
how to juggle. The awkward child had difficulty though, and he did not think that he would ever get the hang of   
it. 

But finally, with only the two cups, Orion managed to execute a couple of turn arounds with the items,   
and laughed as the others applauded the feat. 

"What the hell is this?!" demanded a voice. Blackmoor...who had come to check on the slaves in the   
kitchen as he did every night. Most of the work his taskmasters did, but he shared equally in this particular task. 

Startled, Orion dropped the cups and stumbled backwards, bumping into the stove, his face paling,.   
would the jackal be mad at him? he also felt pretty foolish, being caught clowning around. the whole kitchen   
was silent... 

...that is until the cook hissed a curse and lunged for the stove. Orion did not know what he was doing   
until he turned and his eyes widened. The pot of potatoes was teetering on the edge of the stove; his shoulder   
had hit it just right, and had pushed it towards the edge. 

But the cook wasn't fast enough, and the pot crashed to the ground, Everyone winced. 

Finally the silence was broken when Orion swallowed hard and backed hastily away, stammering an   
apology. 

Blackmoor ignored the near frantic stuttering, and drew his fist back, punching Orion square in the   
face. "You worthless shit," he growled, his voice a tone of disgust. 

Orion yelped sharply as he staggered against the wall. he put a hand to his face, discovering that his   
nose and lip were bleeding. His head rocked back again as Blackmoor struck him a second time, making them   
bleed even more. The young slave cowered in the corner, his hands over his head, feeling the eyes of the other   
slaves while he listened to the cruel words his mater spewed. 

In Plundaarian, a language that Orion now spoke fluently and was Blackmoor's own tongue, he   
proceeded to tear Orion down. Plundaarian was so much more effective at this than basic. "You're the clumsiest   
damned slave in this whole complex! If I had a mate that spawned a child as stupid as you, I'd have killed it at   
birth!" 

The fist blows had not hurt all that badly. COmpared to some of the punishments he had taken, they   
were easily tolerable. but silent tears made their way down his face. he tried to tell himself often that he   
didn't care what Blackmoor and his goons thought...but no mater how much he hated them, their words hurt. 

He heard over and over how worthless he was. How stupid and clumsy. And he usually believed it. The young   
Thunderian had all but forgotten the kind lecture his father had given him on worth...he dreamed of it occasionally, but it was lost in wakefulness in the harsh cruel reality he lived in. 

"You sniveling shit. Well?" Blackmoor demanded, whapping him upside the head "Quit blubbering,   
you worthless crybaby. What do you have to say, you piece of dung?" 

Not looking up, Orion said in a little voice, "I-I'm s-sorry, M-Master...I-I won't do it again, I promise..." 

Blackmoor gave a snort of derision. "Of course you'll do it again, wretch. You're too stupid not to." 

"I-I'm sorry..." Orion repeated, trying valiantly to stop his tears. But however valiant, the attempt was   
failed. 

"That's not enough, brat," Blackmoor hissed. he grabbed the cub's mane and forced the boy to look at   
him. "That's a large pot of food you just spoiled. The slaves don't want to eat food that's been spilled on the   
floor." Of course this was not exactly true. Most of the salves did, or had at one time or another, eaten food   
that was far worse than having been spilled on the kitchen floor. Some had eaten spoiled food, foul tasting   
food, watery gruel...this was not a matter of spoiled food. Blackmoor smiled inwardly, pleased at the way   
Orion shrank back in fear. Blackmoor nodded. "Clean it up, Orion. To make up for the wasted food, you will   
go without the next few days. You will eat again when I say you can." 

Orion had scrambled to complete the cleaning task, and now looked up at Blackmoor's sentence, hastily   
looking back down. Blackmoor had not told him to look up. 

"If you're caught eating anything before I say you can, fifteen lashes and an extra two days' fast. Is that   
understood, brat?" 

"Y-yes, Master," Orion whispered, his eyes to the floor. 

"Good. Then report to the mines, you're there for a month." Blackmoor left, and Orion continued his   
task. 

"Well what a jerk," Tamarin grumbled, and knelt by Orion. "You okay? Sorry...I didn't mean to get   
you in trouble." 

"It's okay; it's my fault," Orion said, sniffing, and wiping his face. His nose was still bleeding. 

"Here." the young simian retrieved a paper towel and handed it to the young Thunderian. 

"Thanks," Orion said, and blew his nose into the towel. It got some of the blood out, but didn't stop it   
from bleeding. 

"No, no, that's not what I meant you to do with it...haven't you ever had a bloody nose before?" 

"F-From Master Blackmoor...." 

"Yeah, and I bet he didn't do anything to help, either. Come here." Tamarin got another paper towel   
and gently squeezed Orion's nose with it, tilting the child's head back. At first Orion resisted, panicked,   
thinking Tamarin was going to cut off his air. But then he breathed through his mouth, and he was okay. He   
trusted Tamarin well enough. 

After a few moments, the bleeding had stopped, and Tamarin let go. "That better?" 

Orion looked down and nodded. "Thanks." 

"Yeah...better get to the mines before Buttmore gets mad at you." 

Not even laughing at the improvised insult, Orion nodded and left the kitchen. 

And so this day he still worked in the mines. He had not yet eaten in six days, and was growing   
desperate with hunger. Although the taskmasters had been told Orion was not to be denied water (if he asked   
correctly) while he worked, it did little to still his stomach's insistence that he feed it. It didn't stop the cramps   
or the nausea. He had begged to be given something to eat, and been laughed at, and told to get to work unless   
he wanted a thrashing. Orion had gotten to work. 

"Hey," came a voice, at lunch break. Orion was allowed to rest, but not eat. He looekd to see Tamarin   
next to him; he had not even seen his friend in the mine that morning. The simian looked furtively around,   
then extended a sandwich towards the cub. "Hurry up...before they see you..." 

Orion bit his lip, and nearly took the sandwich. It was so tempting, and he was so hungry... But at last,   
he recalled Blackmoor's words. And he knew that he would rather go hungry than take a beating from   
Blackmoor. The child looked down and shook his head. "Thank you," he whispered, as he was grateful for   
the offer. 

Tamarin nodded and set the sandwich aside. he decided that he wouldn't eat it in front of his friend;   
he could wait until supper. "I don't blame you, hoo, hoo." 

On the afternoon of the seventh day, Blackmoor came to watch the little cat. the jackal had no work of   
his own to do, no paperwork, no overseeing, no selling or trading. And so he entered the mine, eating a largish   
sandwich. The child looked back at him, the want in his eyes unhidden as he looked at the food. 

"Did I say you could stop working?" Blackmoor's voice was calm, matter of fact, but Orion's reaction   
was to hastily turn away and resume his work. He shook as he worked, weakened form his bout of starvation. 

"That's better." Blackmoor leaned against the wall, being deliberately noisy as he ate. The taskmaster that had   
been assigned the mine snickered softly. 

Orion started to silently cry, not able to help it. Across the way, Tamarin watched angrily. "M-master,   
please let me eat," Orion whispered. "Please? Please?" 

Blackmoor kicked the child, sending him into the wall. "Did you speak to me slave? Without me talking to you first?" 

Orion cringed, covering his head in case Blackmoor decided to beat him for it. "I-I'm s-sorry, master,"   
he stammered. 

Blackmoor had no intention of beating Orion for it; he was merely playing with the child's head. It   
further reinforced the relationship; master and slave. "You want to eat, wretch?" After a moment's hesitation,   
Orion whispered his answer. "Have you been behaving?" 

Another answer in the affirmative, and Orion timidly uncurled, and looekd warily at Blackmoor's feet.   
he didn't dare look up. 

"Look at me, brat." Orion did so. "Get on your knees." Again, immediate obedience. "How badly do   
you want to eat, Orion?" 

Orion was silent for a second, not sure how to reply. he didn't know what Blackmoor wanted here. But   
finally, he stammered, "V-very b-badly, M-master..." 

Blackmoor thought a moment, then said, "Lick my boot, Orion. Lick it clean...then I will let you eat." 

Orion blinked, and even looked up at Blackmoor in shock. "L-l-lick y-your b-boot...M-master...?" he   
asked in a little voice. 

Blackmoor got an ugly scowl on his face. "Are you defying me, Orion?" 

Orion immediately looked down and swallowed hard. "N-no, M-master Blackmoor...but-but..." 

"You must not want to eat all that badly, wretch." He sounded angry, but was not, really. Inwardly, he   
smiled in cruel amusement at Orion's terrified subservience. "You must want a beating for defying me." 

The child began crying harder, silent, as always, and crouched lower on the ground. "N-n-no, M-m-master, please..." 

Blackmoor put his foot in front of the cub's face. "Then do as I say, slave. Now." 

Trembling, tears streaming form his face, Orion bit his lip and slowly lowered his head. Grimacing, the   
child stuck his tongue out and began to lick Blackmoor's boot. His rough feline tongue was made for cleaning,   
and began to take the dirt and dust and who knew what else off the slaver's boot. The child felt ill, and his pale face burned red from humiliation. On the other side of the mine, Tamarin looked away in disgust. 

After a few moments, although his boot was far from clean, Blackmoor drew his boot away. He had   
achieved his directive. The slaver kicked Orion lightly in the face. "That's enough, wretch. i don't want your   
dirty feline tongue on my boot any more." He made a face of sheer disgust. "Disgusting little cur. Here, eat."   
Blackmoor dropped his sandwich on the ground. "If you're very good the rest of the day and tomorrow, you   
might have supper tomorrow night." With that, Blackmoor stalked out. 

Looking fixedly at the floor, trying to ignore the jeers of the taskmaster, Orion reached out and picked   
the sandwich off of the dirt. it was more than half gone, and had soil clinging to it, but Orion didn't care. 

Clutching it and retreating back to the wall like a starving stray dog who has found a scrap of meat, Orion ate   
the rest of Blackmoor's sandwich. 

At the guard's less-than-kind insistence, Orion went back to work. In his shame, he refused to look at   
anyone. 

Chapter 18 

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	18. Chapter 18

18 

Again, things went with their own miserable monotony. Orion's life was one of harsh work, harsh   
treatment, and low living. He and Hyder were finally allowed to move into the slave dorms, four years after they   
had been brought to the complex. Had it not been for the one little incident, they would have been in there a lot   
sooner. 

Orion was nine. He'd been without chains now for nearly three years, except when he was being   
punished. But he had behaved well for a long time, and had not felt the whip for over three months. He had not   
even been scolded in a couple of weeks. 

One night, as Orion was preparing to go to bed, Blackmoor came to see him in the dorm. As usual, the   
young Thunderian cringed away from him, but did not move back. He cast his eyes to the floor. "Y-yes, Master?" he asked. 

"I have a proposition for you, brat." 

Puzzled, Orion timidly asked what that meant. 

"Stupid wretch, I shouldn't have even asked you..." Blackmoor sighed. "There is a lady that lives in   
this city that we often deal with. Once a year, her servants are put on vacation. it's something she does for   
them." Blackmoor waved a hand, looking mildly disgusted. "Soft-hearted fool. When they leave, it is for two   
months, and she rents a slave from this complex to help her out around the house." Blackmoor thought a   
moment, then said grudgingly, "You have behaved well over the past few months, you've obeyed every order   
you've been given without any mistakes. Are you interested in this job?" 

For a moment, Orion said nothing; he was thinking that it might be too good to be true. Still, he managed to stammer, "Y-y-yes, Master..." 

Orion almost expected the jackal to laugh and say "Too bad," then walk off, but he didn't. He only   
nodded. "Very well. you will leave tomorrow afternoon by cart and will get there in the evening. Tomorrow   
morning you will shower and you will be given a clean pair of breeches." The jackal grasped Orion's chin and   
forced him to look at him. "You will do every thing this lady tells you to do, and do it immediately, is that understood? If you cause her one tiny bit of trouble, I will beat you within an inch of your life. Is that understood, slave?" 

"Y-yes, M-m-master..." Orion stammered, wondering just what this lady might make him do. All of a   
sudden, he was a little worried about his decision. 

Blackmoor left. 

"Don't worry," Hyder said. The young hyena was now twelve, and still nearly as skinny as he had bene   
at the age of eight. But he was somewhat taller. "He just says that because she's a good customer...just don't   
make her mad. I hear that she's nice; I wish I could go." 

Relaxing a great deal, Orion said, "Well...m-maybe he'll let you go too." 

Hyder laughed. "Nah, it's all right. He won't let me, and besides, you should go." he lowered his voice.   
"It'll get you away from Blackmoor." 

Orion nodded and smiled at his friend. He climbed into the bed and closed his eyes, hearing Hyder's   
breathing in the cot next to him. Tamarin, who had been in the dorm for a few years now, was a few cots away,   
but Orion's feline eyes could see him grin at him in the dim light. Closing his eyes once more, Orion covered   
up and went to sleep. 

The next morning, he was roused early as usual and sent to work in the junkyard. Late in the morning,   
he was taken to the showers and told to wash up well, and Orion was only too glad to do so. he did not often   
get to bathe well, and rarely with soap. When he came out and dried off, his thin fur was lighter, and the thick   
fur on his back and frontside was puffed out a little bit, and soft. He was given a light blue pair of breeches to   
put on, and he was surprised to find that they actually fit. Without any trouble at all, he followed the bored   
taskmaster out of the building and out to a waiting cart. He was told to climb inside, and he obeyed, frowning a   
little bit when the reptilian attached a strong chain to his collar and attached it to a loop inside the tiny cart. 

This done, he climbed up onto the top and made a noise to the reptile at at the reins, and the cart took off.   
Orion was a little surprised. He half expected to be made to pull the cart himself, but he got to ride   
inside it! There was a wooden bench inside with a thin cushion on it for a seat, and little leg room. He felt slightly claustrophobic, but still. 

The young slave was half tempted to lie down and rest, but he had never been anywhere outside of   
Blckmoor's complex. Despite what might lay ahead for him, the excitement of leaving it for the first time was   
enough to keep him awake and looking out the open windows. There was no glass, only open doorways on   
either side. This was why he was chained, it would be very easy to sneak out of the creaky cart and escape. but   
Orion almost didn't mind. he was enjoying looking around. 

Most of the Mutants he saw in the town looked at him with contempt, but he was used to that. He was   
looking at the shops, and the vehicles (many of which he had worked on in the hangars) and the creatures. He'd   
never seen such strange, and sometimes scary animals on Thundera! And most of them seemed to be pets! 

He was content for a few hours to simply watch, but then he did start to get a little droopy. Orion curled   
up on the narrow seat to wait the ride out. 

After night had fallen, the cart finally came to a stop. Roused, Orion sleepily opened his eyes and sat   
up. With a noise of aggravation, the reptilian Mutant brushed Orion's hair out somewhat roughly, as he'd been   
given orders that Orion look presentable. "Should've cut it," he grumbled. 

Orion, who did not like being touched, nearly shied away. but he refrained, saving himself from a smack across the face. He let the simian brush his hair and wash his face and eyes. then the chain lead was taken from the collar and Orion was led up the steps. 

The young slave was very nervous, wondering how he would have to behave. As it was, he was walking   
with his head down and his eyes on the ground in front of him, and the taskmaster wasn't saying anything to   
him, so he must be doing all right. 

The door opened, and although Orion was tempted t look up and see who was there, he did not. "Yes?"   
came a feminine voice, and then answered her own question. "Oh this must be my replacement for these three   
months. Please come in." 

The taskmaster nudged Orion into the house, and still the boy did not look up. but he did steal glances   
from the corners of his eyes. The house was huge! The room he was in, only a foyer, was in itself large. There   
was nice furniture and the like everywhere, and he had never seen such richness. Even on Thundera his family had been comfortable in the money department, but nothing so rich as this. 

"So what's this young man's name?" the woman asked. Orion still had not seen her. 

The taskmaster nudged Orion again. "Tell her your name." 

"O-Orion, Mistress," Orion said, using the name Blackmoor ahd said he must use. 

"Good boy." The taskmaster nodded, relieved that Orion had cooperated. He himself did not want to go   
back to his boss with a bad report. 

"Please, call me Hintracrii, young Orion. it's the name I prefer." 

She wanted him to call her by her name? Not sure as to what to do, and fearing retribution form the   
taskmaster, Orion only nodded. 

"Well I'd love to stay, madam, but I've got to get back to the complex. Call there if this one gives you   
any kind of trouble." The taskmaster squeezed Orion's shoulder lightly, but the threat was enough. Orion knew   
what he meant. 

Hintracrii smiled and nodded to the reptilian. "Then have a safe trip. Come on, Orion. it is late, let me   
show you where you are to sleep." 

Answering in a quiet voice, and still not raising his eyes, Orion followed the tan colored feet of his temporary mistress. 

Hintracrii looked back with a frown of mild puzzlement. "Why do you not look up, Orion?" 

The voice wasn't harsh, or unkind...Orion wasn't sure if he should look up, or answer. He decided to   
answer. "I-I'm not supposed to unless they tell me to." 

The woman was not sure how to react to this, and most of the slaves that she had "borrowed" had been   
higher ranking ones, and ones that had not been so terrorized and beaten. "Well, little one, you don't have to   
look up if you don't want to. But I don't mind. I think that eye contact is a pleasant thing when talking to someone." 

A choice? She was giving him a choice? Orion timidly looked up and was a little surprised to find that   
Hintracrii was a rat Mutant. She was an older Mutant, and very pretty even for her age. She had a kind look in   
her eyes, not something the young slave often saw. Hintracrii smiled. "You have very pretty eyes, Orion. Are   
you a Thunderian?" 

"Y-yes, Mistress." 

She stopped outside a door, and Orion also stopped, wondering if she was mad at him for some reason.   
he couldn't explain it, but he really did want her to be pleased with him. and not just because Blackmoor would   
hurt him if she was not. 

"Are you afraid of me?" the woman asked. Again, her voice held no hostility, only something like curiosity,. And something Orion could have sworn was concern. 

Looking down again, Orion shook his head. "N-no, mistress...h-how come you thought so?" 

"Your speech seems very afraid, young Thunderian. You don't have to fear me. I won't harm you unless   
you try to harm me." 

Orion blinked and looked up again at her. He honestly did not know what to say to that. 

"Why are you so timid?" 

Hintracrii had nt meant it as an insult, in fact later she realized what she ahd said was somewhat   
degrading. But a flash of anger and hurt went through Orion's mind at the question. Looking again at the floor   
and clenching his fists in helpless frustration, he spoke. He could not help himself, the words just spilled out.   
"E-every time I say something, or look up, or even breathe sometimes without permission I get beaten!" he   
cried. "Th-they took me form my parents when I was little...I don't even know where they are! They...they   
brought me to this planet, and gave me to Blackmoor. he likes to hurt me, uses any excuse! I-i-if you got beat   
all the time, or s-starved, o-or dunked...you'd be timid too!" 

Taken aback, Hintracrii only looked at Orion for a moment. This time it was she that was at a loss for   
words. Though a kind woman, especially by Plundaarian standards, and rich, she knew little of the slave   
market. She had not thought they were ill-treated, in fact thought that kind of thing would be counterproductive   
as well as wrong. 

Misjudging her silence as displeasure, Orion bit his lip, realizing just what he'd done. Tears came to his   
eyes, as much as he wanted them to stay away. "I-I-I'm sorry Mistress...I-i d-didn't mean it, I swear..I'm sorry, 

I'm sorry...:please don't tell Master Blackmoor...I-I won't misbehave again..." 

Hintracrii closed her eyes, almost wishing they had given her a different choice. This one seemed so   
fearful, afraid of everything... She didn't know how to deal with him. "Please don't cry," she finally said to   
him. "I'm not angry with you." 

Again the rat managed to surprise Orion, who looked up slowly, still fearing a strike to the face or something like that. It never came. "Y-you aren't?" 

"No, little one." 

"Y-y-you...you won't tell my master...?" 

"No...I will not tell him. You've done nothing wrong." After a moment of awkward silence, she   
opened the door to one of the guest rooms. "Well, this is where you will sleep while you're here. There is   
some clothing in the drawers, although I don't think you'll fit into them...have to get some of a smaller size.   
there is a shower off to the left there, and a closet to the right. there are some books to read if you like before   
bed." 

Orion only stared at the room for a moment. it was big, bigger than his room on Thundera, even.   
There was a large bed, that looked very soft. Pillows and a blanket... "Th-this...this is where I sleep..? On the   
floor?" Maybe it was the lady's room and he had to share it with her. 

Hintracrii laughed, the question having surprised her. "Well I suppose if you prefer it. but you can sleep   
on the bed. You're the only one who will sleep in here, you can sleep wherever you like. Breakfast will be midmorning, I will come and knock on the door. All right, little one?" 

Finally, Orion nodded. "Y-y-yes, Mistress...c-can I take a shower?" 

"Dear, you don't have to ask my permission for that." She laid a gentle hand on the boy's head. "Go   
ahead and take a shower...and please, call me Hintracrii." 

"Yes, Hintracrii...thank you..." He walked into the room and heard her close the door. but not lock it.   
But at the moment Orion was not thinking of escape. He only thought of sleeping in a real bed, a warm bed...   
He wondered if the water was hot or cold. he crept into the bathroom and discovered that he could choose   
the temperature. Even though he had bathed that morning, he couldn't resist. The ride there had been chilly,   
as it was middle fall and getting cold. Especially at night. And the cart had been all open. 

He stepped into the shower and turned on the water. Gods, he enver thought water could feel good.   
but it did. He stood in the shower for a long time, enjoying the warmth, then washed himself well, cleaner afterwards than he had ever been. The showering facilities weren't the best for the slaves, even when they were allowed soap. 

Finally the cub dried off, then not sure what to do with the towels, folded them near the door. he would   
ask where they went in the morning. he was afraid to get out of the room, as he wans't sure what he was and was   
not allowed to do yet. 

The young slave climbed into the big bed, amazed at how soft it was. He crawled under the covers,   
having a mild panic attack when he sank down a bit it them. but a little readjustment left his head free, and he   
discovered that he liked the bed very much. Curled up in the warm comforters, Orion closed his eyes. 

Chapter 19 

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	19. Chapter 19

19 

In the morning, Orion was awakened by a soft knock at the guest room door. He was awake   
immediately, as he had learned to be. Not quite sure what he was to do, he crept to the door and opened it,   
forgetting he was still nude. At his host's somewhat shocked face, Orion turned red. Although not usually   
modest about nudity, he had not meant to upset the lady. "Oh! I-I'm   
sorry, I forgot..." He ran behind the bed and slipped his breeches on, then crept back out. "I-I'm sorry Mistress...I forgot. Thunderians don't wear clothes a lot..." 

Hintracrii said nothing for a moment, and then when the surprise wore off, she laughed. "It's all right,.   
Orion. You didn't upset me, only surprised me a little bit. Plundaarians aren't quite as used to nudity. Come   
on down, it is almost time for breakfast." 

Uh oh...would Orion be made to cook? He often helped in the kitchen, peeling potatoes or doing little   
odd jobs and cleaning, but he wasn't trusted to cook. he did not know how. "U-uh...M-Mistress? I-I don't know how to cook..." 

"Oh I wans't expecting you to cook, little one. And please, call me Hintracrii. Really, I don't like to   
think of myself as anyone's Mistress..." But that's what she was. wasn't it? The child she had now was a   
slave. Hintracrii dashed the thought form her mind and led the young Thunderian to a large, ornate dining room.   
"The dishes and glasses are in that cupboard over there, can you please set the table? I have made breakfast.   
Or rather it is cooking. With only you and I here there's no need for a lot of food." 

Orion nodded agreeably, and went to the cupboard while Hintracrii popped into the kitchen to look after   
the eggs. When she came back, she found Orion staring somewhat confusedly into the cupboard. "What's wrong?" she asked him. 

"W-well...there's a lot of stuff here...d-do you just want the plates out?" He winced inwardly, half   
expecting to be smacked for his stupidity. 

"Why, haven't you ever set a table before, Orion?" she asked him. 

"N-no, M---I mean Hintracrii... We just get a tin plate and cup for meals." 

"Not even a spoon?" 

"Well sometimes that, but nothing else." 

"Oh...well here, dear, let me show you." Hintracrii got out two plates, glasses, silverware sets, and cloth   
napkins. She arranged the items on the table, telling im which went where. "Do you think you can do it for   
lunch?" she asked him. Orion nodded eagerly, wanting to please her,. She smiled and asked him to help her   
bring out the food. He gladly did. 

When it was all on the table, Orion looked at the food, and wondered what he would be given to eat. He   
was very hungry. "Well go ahead and sit down," Hintracrii told him. 

"Wh-where...? O-on the floor?" He was afraid to ask when he would be allowed to eat. 

"Why...at the table...unless you want to eat on the floor." Hintracrii frowned, grasping for the first   
time just what kind of life the young slave led. 'My dear,' she said to herself. He acted so degraded...as if he   
thought himself a wretch. 

"A-at...this one? With you? Y-you mean you want me to eat at the same table?" Orion wasn't sure he   
had heard right. 

Hintracrii smiled. "Yes, I would like that very much, Orion. Will you?" 

Orion smiled and climbed up into a chair, something he had not done now in four years. "Y-yes   
ma'am...thank you." he looked at the food, then at her, being patient. He was sure she'd tell him when (and   
what) he could eat. 

"Well...go ahead, take what you'd like to eat." 

Orion's jaw dropped. "Y-you mean from this food?" His tone was incredulous. 

Hintracrii surpressed the urge to bite her lip Never did she have any idea how the slaves lived...but she   
was getting an idea now. "Yes, little one. You don't have to ask me to eat. Please, take what you think you   
can eat. you can have more if you're still hungry." 

After thanking her, Orion eagerly waited until she had gotten her food, then chose some of his own. He   
hadn't eaten this well in...longer than he could remember. He was thrilled to be eating breakfast period, without it being as good as this! 

Hintracrii watched the child sadly, so excited over an ordinary breakfast. She wondered why the other   
slaves she had had over the years form that place did not act as this,. of course they were adults, and mostly   
Mutants. But still. She wondered if they were favorites of their masters. This skinny little Thunderian did not   
seem to be well treated. And as she looked at him, she could see scars on his body. Scars that must have been   
left by terrible actions. 

The rat Mutant wondered if Blackmoor would sell this slave to her; while he could likely never be free   
on Plundaar because of his race, at least he would have a better life here. And if not...well she vowed to make   
his time here as pleasant as possible. 

When breakfast was done, she asked Orion to help her with the dishes. that was really all Orion was to   
do when he was there, was to help her with the household chores, and do some of the things that she could not.,   
Mowing the lawn was one. It was not that she wans't strong enough, the grass made her sneeze terribly. 

When they were done, she asked Orion if he would like to come to the market with her, She ahd to pick   
up a few things for food that week, and needed help carrying things. 

"Yes, ma'am!" Orion had exclaimed. He'd never been to the Market. He'd never been anywhere   
outside the slave complex...and now two places in two days! 

Hintracrii smiled. "Good boy...Orion, it is getting pretty cold out. Would you like to have some extra   
clothing to wear? I know that THunderians don't like clothes, but surely they wear them in the winter?" 

"O-only if it gets cold enough...some places are warm all year..." He bit his lip and looked down. "I-I   
wish it was here too." 

"Well," the rat said, putting her hand on his shoulder. She noticed him want to shy away, but also saw   
that he restrained himself form doing so. "Let's get you something a little nicer to wear, little one. I don't want you to catch cold. Then we can shop for food." 

Orion readily agreed, and followed Hintracrii out the door, He was amazed when she hailed a   
hover-carraige outside her manor, as she told him to climb in. A carriage! Wait 'til I tell Hyder about this, he   
thought...then felt bad. Would Hyder feel left out? He almost felt guilty being in such a nice place while he   
and Tamarin were stuck back there... 

But the feeling soon left him as he looked out the window. He shivered a little in the cold wind from   
the swift carriage, and noticed the driver giving him contemptuous looks, but he was too excited to care. 

The ride was over too soon in his opinion, but the young slave obediently got out of the carriage when   
told to. He looked around, noticing that if he wanted to escape...this would be the time. but...he liked this lady.   
And he didn't want to hurt her. And besides...he knew Blackmoor would just find him again and drag him back...then he'd be punished badly. 

"Orion?" 

Orion shook his head and looked up, startled. "I-I'm sorry, I-I space off a lot..." He shrugged as he ran   
to her side. "Sorry...it's because I'm stupid, Blackmoor says.' 

Hintracrii blinked. "You're not stupid...I know many people who daydream. It means you have a good   
imagination." She smiled. "Come on, we'll stop at this shop here,. They sell a lot of children's clothing." 

"O-okay!" Orion followed her in, taking in the sights and smells and sounds of the market. There were   
a lot of Mutants there, no Thunderians...no humans. But still, it was neat. The smells of the food made Orion's   
stomach growl. Although he had just eaten a big meal, he was conditioned to eat whenever he could. and the   
food did smell good. 

Inside, the shop was light and somehow cozy feeling. There was a lot of clothing here and there, and   
Orion saw a few little rooms. he stayed away from those, in fact did not stray far from his mistress's side.   
"What would you like, Orion?" she asked him. 

Orion looked around at all the clothes and discovered that he would be happy just to have a shirt. while   
he preferred to sleep in the nude, he hated being exposed in public. It made him feel vulnerable. "W-well... whatever you want me to wear, Mi-Hintracriii." he shook his head, he'd never get used to saying that! 

Hintracrii was getting the idea that Orion felt more secure when told what to do instead of being allowed   
to choose. And in this case, she thought it would be all right to do that. Finding a warm, thick shirt that she   
thought would look good on the little striped and spotted cat, she held it up to him. "Do you like this one, Orion?" she asked. It was dark green. 

Orion nodded. 

The rat smiled and asked, "Do you think it will fit?" 

"I-I don't know...how would I tell?" 

Instead of answering him, Hintracrii turned to the shopkeeper. "Is it all right for Orion to try this on?"   
she asked. 

The shopkeeper, a fat jackal with a ruff of fur on his face, scowled. "Is he a slave?" 

"Well...well yes..." 

"Well Thunderians aren't usually allowed in here...but since he's your brat..." He thought a moment. 

"Yes he can...since it's you, Lady Hintracrii. but he has to do it in there, my patrons don't want to see a nak—nude cat." he pointed to one of the little changing rooms. 

Hintracrii smiled politely. "Thank you, sir. Come on, Orion, let's try this on. 

But Orion wasn't moving. he was eyeing the little rooms, biting his lip, and shaking slightly. They   
were awfully small...he could already imagine the walls closing in, the air being cut off... He closed his eyes   
shut tight and whispered, "No, mistress...please..." 

Hintracrii frowned and knelt beside him. "What's wrong, little one? They're only changing rooms...there's nothing in there that will hurt you." 

She just didn't understand! Orion opened his eyes and looked plaintively into the lady's. "I-I-I can't..."   
he said. "I-It's...it's because they're small...And-and I can't breathe, and..." he knew how stupid he sounded. 

But surprinsgly, understanding dawned in Hintracriii's eyes. "Claustrophobia..." She smiled a little.   
"Yes, little one, there is a name for this fear. A lot of epople have it. It's not just you. We don't have to use   
those rooms, we can get something that looks like your size and if it doesn't fit we can bring it back and get another. All right?" 

Intensely grateful, Orion nodded. Hintracrii took the shirt and began looking for a pair of pants. She   
found some that were the same dark green as the shirt, and handed both items to Orion. The child put them up   
to his face, feeling the soft material. It was warm! 

Finally, they looked at shoes...those they could try on there. The lady told Orion to sit down, and she   
tried a pair of short boots on him. She kept this up until she found a pair that fit him, and were also warm. 

"How's that, Orion...do they pinch?" The child shook his head. "Good. I think we're ready now." 

Hintracrii brought the items up and paid for them, and Orion was amazed that she was willing to pay so   
much for a worthless slave. He whispered his thanks once they got outside, feeling the strange urge to cry.   
"You're welcome little one. I am responsible for you, that means I should look after you. Here, let's get   
this clothing on." 

Once Orion was in the pants, shirt, and boots, he felt a great deal warmer. And they were so comfortable! He was ready to do almost anything for the lady after that day. 

The pair wandered through the food market, looking at this and that. Hintracrii got a basket and gave it   
to Orion, who happily held it for her. Putting anything that she bought into the basket, it soon made it quite heavy. But Orion did not complain. 

They stayed most the day in the market. Money was of no concern to the lady rat, and she was generous   
with it. She bought them lunch, although the proprietor made Orion eat his outside, Somewhat perturbed by   
this, Hintracrii had chosen also to eat outside with him. They looked at the booths and stalls, and even watched   
a street juggler perform. 

Throughout the day, Orion put up with disgusted looks, shoves, and insults...but he ignored them all. He   
was used to it. The wonder of the outdoor market was a lot more interesting to him at the moment. 

When they got home, Hintracrii told Orion he could take of his shoes. "Did you have fun today, little   
one? That basket was pretty heavy." 

"I-I didn't mind...really," Orion said. And he didn't. "It wasn't heavy...I ahd a lot of fun..." He looked   
down and once again thanked the lady. 

"Orion..." Hintracrii sighed and went to put a hand on his shoulder, but stopped herself, remembering   
that he didn't like it. "You don't have to thank me so much...once is enough. I know you appreciate that...and   
that makes me happy." She smiled, then turned towards the kitchen. "Let's watch the televiewer a little bit before supper, sound good?" 

Orion nodded agreeably, and the pair went into the sitting room to watch. 

Chapter 20 

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	20. Chapter 20

20 

The next couple of weeks went similarly. Orion helped his keeper with the household chores, washing   
dishes and sweeping and cleaning. She often helped him in these tasks, and Orion was glad of the company. 

The boy slept in the guest room, in the soft bed, with better accommodations than he had had in years. He was   
actually happy, and thought that if he had to live his life in slavery, he would want Hintracrii as his mistress. She didn't mistreat him, or make him feel like a piece of dirt. She treated him like a cub. That was all he wanted. 

Mowing the lawn had been an interesting occurrence. The boy did not know how to work the ride-on   
mower, and Hintracrii did not either for that matter. Her servants had always done it for her. And so an hour   
was spent simply figuring it out. Orion giggled as the rat tried a button and the seat moved back. The child   
had laughed more here than he ahd in a long, long time. 

But the thing was finally deciphered, and Orion tried it out. Now this was fun! He grinned as he started on   
the large lawn of the estate. As he mowed the borders, he gazed out the gate. It was wrought iron, and would be   
easily climbed, .but Orion did not try. He liked it here, and he believed everything Blackmoor said about finding him and punishing him if he ever escaped. But it was nice to dream about freedom. 

Hintracrii watched the little cat on the security monitors. Those at least she had learned to operate before   
her servants left. She wondered what she would do if he tried to escape, and she did not think that she would   
do anything to stop him...although she would be concerned about his safety, he did not think she could bring herself to try and subdue his attempt at freedom. 

But Orion did not try and escape, only finishing mowing the lawn. 

When he came back into the house, quietly as he was accustomed to being, the expression on his face   
looked haunted; the thoughts of freedom had made him homesick. 

It was early in the day, there no chores that could not be left for later. She smiled at the boy as he   
walked in the door. "Orion, it is very warm out. Would you like to go out for lunch? We could go down to the   
lake. Do you swim?" 

Orion immediately shook his head. 

"Well...would you like to learn how?" 

Orion bit his lip. He wanted to please the lady, but... "I-I—I'm afraid of w-water..." he said. 

The lady rat nodded to him, remembering that he was claustrophobic as well. She put a hand on his   
shoulder and was happy that he did not pull away. "It's all right, Orion. There is also a playground there. You   
can play there while I cool off mayhap." 

Orion smiled and nodded. 

"All right then, let's get ready." She laughed kindly. "Your clothes are full of grass." 

Orion looked down at his shirt and pants and found that they were full of grass, and he laughed too. 

"Let's get you changed." Hintracrii had gotten the young slave a few other sets of clothing., one was a   
shorts outfit, one a light pants outfit, and the other another heavy, warm set for the cold weather. Orion put on   
the shorts and followed Hintracrii out of the door. 

The park was near a lake whose waters were always warm, even in the winter. The seemingly unnatural   
lake was not chemical, or magical, only fed by a hot underground spring. 

The pair had lunch outside, and Hintracrii let Orion order whatever he wanted. As they ate, they   
watched Mutants children playing in the water and on the playground equipment. Orion was interested in the   
playground. He had a flashback of memory of playing on similar equipment on Thundera.   
after lunch, Hintracrii turned Orion loose onto the playground, She watched him at first, not afraid that   
he would run, but afraid someone would give him trouble. She noted that the child got disgusted looks from   
most of the children there, and watched the parents take their young ones away. But three did stay, and their   
parents did not seem to mind a Thunderian playing on the playground. The lady rat had a feeling that the only   
reason the others left, and did not demand that Orion be moved, was that she was with him, and she was well   
respected. 

When she was confident Orion would be all right, Hintracrii told him where she would be. 

Orion nodded, and went back to looking the playground over. 

"What's your name?" The question had come from a little jackal girl of around the age of three who   
had bounded up to the young cat. She'd never seen a real feline before. She was a tiny little thing, and Orion   
smiled, He had always loved children, even when he was very young. And this one did not seem to be afraid of   
him. he looked over to the child's mother, and the adult jackal gave him a sad smile. She understood. 

Orion got down on his knees to put himself at the little girl's level. "M-my name is Orion," he said to   
her. "What's yours?" 

"I'm Jackli. And that's my brother over there, his name is Kkikris. That means fighter in plundaarian!" 

Orion smiled. "I know...I know Plundaarian." He tentatively waved at the other boy, who waved back   
then went back to attacking a tree with his toy sword. 

The talkative little jackal continued, pointing at the third of the children still in the playground. "And   
that's Vulturr, and he's a year younger than Kkikris. Kkikris is eight, and Vulturr is seven." 

Wow, she sure talked a lot! Orion grinned at the little girl. "Well, what is there to do here?" 

Jackli was quite willing to show Orion how all the playground equipment worked. Orion liked the slide,   
which made him almost feel like he was flying; it was a feeling of freedom. He liked the swings, too, as he   
never had a fear of heights. The play tunnels, though...he had spent a few moments trying to explain to the little   
girl why he could not go into them, but she had finally accepted it. 

After a few hours or so of strenuous play, the two children sat down on the bench to rest for a little bit.   
Jackli frowned and reached up a hand towards Orion's neck. She lightly touched the collar, and asked, "What's   
that?" 

Orion winced. it was only childish curiosity, he knew, but he was ashamed. "It's a collar," he told the   
llittle girl, unconsciously fingering the hateful metal band around his neck. He had almost forgotten about it, playing on the playground. 

"A collar...? But I thought only pets had collars." 

Orion sighed and looked down, and then looked at the llittle girl. "Do you know what a slave is?" he   
asked her. 

Some understanding came into the child's eyes. Yeah...our...our mama told us about it." 

"She says it's wrong," came an older voice. Kkikris and his avian friend and come over and were   
listening. 

Orion shrugged uncomfortably. "I-it is. but that doens;'t stop anyone." 

"You're really a slave?" Vulturr asked, looking at the collar. his eyes widened. "You're with   
Blackmoor? I hear he's really mean!" 

Orion felt a grim amusement at the vulture's words and expression. The young avian was impressed.   
Great, he thought. "Yeah," he said. "He is." 

Kkikris nudged his friend with a look of contempt one saves for his best friend when they're being a   
dork. "Yeah its a great honor," he said sarcastically. he turned to Orion. "You know how to shoot arrows?   
There's a booth on the other side of the park that teaches you and it doesn't cost anything." 

Looking somewhat interested, Orion said that he did not know how. 

"Well you want to?" Orion nodded. "Okay, it's over there...me and Vulturr will meet you there okay?" 

Orion smiled a little and nodded again, but as he looked down, he saw the llittle girl, Jackli, crying.   
"What's wrong?" he asked her. 

"I didn't mean to make you sad," she sniffed. 

The young slave felt bad. "Aww, it's all right, I'm not sad. You didn't make me sad, I promise." After a   
moment, he timidly put an arm around her and gave her a llittle squeeze. He guiltily looked over to the jackals'   
mother to see if she disapproved. but she only smiled at the sight. Orion was relieved. 

Jackli sniffed. "Are you sure?" 

"I'm sure. Come on, do you know where that archery place is?" The child nodded. "Can you take me   
there, or are you not allowed over there?" 

Jackli stood up, wiping her eyes. "I can go there only if my brother is there..." She took Orion's hand.   
"Come on, it's over here." 

Orion did not recoil at her touch. The touch of children never bothered him...it was only those his age,   
and adults whose touch he hatred. He only endured it because he usually got in trouble if he did not. 

The four children spent long time shooting arrows. Orion decided that he liked it, and had a good time,   
despite the Mutant at the booth. He had wanted to throw Orion out of the park, and said a few derogatory   
things about him...but Vulturr, a born con artist if there ever was one, convinced him to let Orion stay and shoot   
arrows. he went there all the time, and his family helped build the park. And so Orion stayed.   
after a while, the jackal's mother came and got them,. "It's time to go," she said to them. "Maybe you   
can see your new friend here again." She smiled at Orion as she said so, and it ws a sincere smile. 

"Awww....okay mama." Jackli pouted, but she gave Orion a hug before leaving. "Bye, Orion!" 

"Come on, Kkikris," the mother said. "And Vulturr...you were supposed to be home a half hour ago!   
your father is going to be pretty mad." 

"Oops...see you Orion!" And the young Mutants dashed off. 

The woman smiled. "Good luck to you, child," she said to Orion before she left. 

Orion waved to his new friends, feeling very happy at the moment. 

Not knowing what to do now, he wandered back over towards the lake. he was amazed that his mistress   
had trusted him thus far, and he did not want to break that trust. He found her floating lazily in the water, a bathing suit of shorts and a short shirt on. He watched her, but did not get anywhere near the water. 

Seeing her young guest, Hintracrii smiled and swam to the shore. "Hello Orion," she said. "That water   
is very warm, why don't you come in a llittle bit? Maybe we can teach you a little bit how to swim. Then maybe you won't be afraid of it." 

Biting his lip, Orion shook his head. 

"Of course you don't have to if you don't want to," she hastily added. "But maybe you can just sit on   
shore, a little bit into the water for a start." 

It took a great deal of convincing, but Orion finally started inching towards the water. there was so much   
of it; if only Hintracrii knew how difficult it was, how he had to force down the terror...how he had to make   
himself move. But she had shown trust in him...and he wanted to do the same., 

All the while, the rat did not make a move towards him, only encouraged him and made sure that none   
of the other bathers got near the timid slave. Finally, Orion made it to the shore, and managed to stand still   
when the water sloshed over his feet. Hintracrii smiled widely. "Good boy! You're doing very well, little one.   
Just a little farther in..." She extended a hand, having gotten on her knees, to his level. Shaking. Orion slowly   
let her take his hand almost expecting her to jerk him in. But she didn't, only let him go at his own pace. 

Soon, Orion was sitting down in the shallow water, looking both very scared and somewhat proud. it   
showed a great deal of trust in the woman to be doing this...but he felt mostly okay with it. The rat stayed with   
him the while time. She splashed him a tiny bit, and got a surprised look. but then Orion giggled. It was a high   
pitched, nervous laugh, but it was there. He even splashed her back. 

There was a brief splash war, during which Hintracrii was very careful only to splash gently. Afterwards,   
Orion was soaked, and ready to get out, but he looked happy with himself as he stood, looking relieved. "I'm   
proud of you, little one," she said to the child, ruffling his mane. "You faced your fear, and even had a little fun." 

Orion beamed at her. "I-I did!" 

She laughed., "Yes, you did. Come on, let's go on back home. The chores can wait, let's play a game or   
something." 

Orion nodded. All the way back home, the child told her of his day and the children he had met. he   
sounded excited, and Hintracrii did not know whether to be happy for him or not. To be so happy over such a   
little thing! 

They spent the rest of the day playing games, and watching the televiewer.   
And Orion was happy. 

Chapter 21 

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	21. Chapter 21

21 

Orion was there for two months, and they were months that passed all too quickly. He liked it at Hintracrii's home, and was well treated. He was treated as a child, even a friend, not a slave. 

They went to the park a few more times, and a couple of them he even met the jackals he had made   
friends with. And each time the rat encouraged Orion to go a little deeper into the water. 

"Look, Orion," the rat said gently. "Look how far in you are." 

The young cat was in the water up to his neck. Hintracrii had distracted him a little, playing splashing   
a little bit as Orion stepped out and now he was neck deep. She did not think she would ever get him to go   
underwater, but she was happy he was not so terrified of it. 

But this had been the wrong thing to say. Orion realized how far in he was, and his first thought was of   
the horrible box Blackmoor liked ot use as punishment. He whimpered, and scrambled back towards the shore,   
and panicked when he couldn't run out. He was not used to how water worked, and all it seemed to to was push him farther back! 

Seeing this, and feeling bad for inadvertently making him react like that, the rat gently pushed him   
forward, so he could get out of the water. Orion did not even notice, only ran as far from the lake as he could. 

The concerned lady looked around for him and found him huddling in a little grove of trees. He was   
crying. "P-please don't be mad at me," the little cat said. 

The poor child looked so miserable. Hintracrii got on her knees. "Easy, little one. I'm not mad at you, I   
promise. I would never be mad at you for something like that, for trying your best. I am proud you got that far.   
Come on, let's go on back home." 

Relived, but still shaken, Orion finally stood and let her take him home   
.   
Orion surprised Hintracrii. one time at the lake, on what ended up being the last warm day of autumn,   
he did what she had not expected him to. He went underwater...kind of. Orion ahd not wanted to really, but his   
desire to please the one that had been so kind to him overpowered his fear, and he went in again. This time,   
when he was submerged to his neck, he didn't panic...although he shook. But...he could move freely, and Hintracrii was right there in case he slipped or something. 

What amazed her was that when she coaxed him to come into deeper water with her holding him, he   
agreed. He clung to her tightly, almost enough to hurt...but he didn't fight to get free. The poor thing looked   
like a frightened infant, she thought. Another thing that amazed her was that when she suggested he try and dog   
paddle, he agreed. While she held him by the waist, he performed the actions she had shown him, and not too   
badly, either. He'd said he did not like the water splashing in his face, but he even managed to keep that to a   
minimum. 

Gently, without Orion even knowing it, Hintracrii let go of the child. He paddled away, a couple of feet,   
before realizing that no one was holding him. Seeing the expression on his face, the lady rat caught him before   
he could panic, and gave him a broad grin. "You did it!" 

Panting, and shaking hard, Orion stared at her for a moment. then he realized she was right. He had   
done it! He grinned weakly as she carried him to the shore. 

That had been on their third to last day together. 

On the last day, both were very reluctant. Hintracrii remembered having wanted a different choice in   
helpers because this one was too skittish, but now she was reluctant to let him go. The day before, not having   
told Orion in case it did not turn out, she had contacted Blackmoor and offered a generous sum to buy the child slave. But no matter what she said, the offer was refused. 

And so in the morning, she and Orion said good-bye. The cub had left his clothing there, knowing that   
Blackmoor would just take it some time when he was angry at him or something, and he didn't like the thought   
of him having something the kind rat Mutant had given him. The couple of toys she had bought he left as well. 

She told him that when they saw each other again they would be waiting. 

As they were uncomfortably trying to say goodbye, Blackmoor's hovered rolled up. Involuntarily,   
Orion backed up a step or two, remembering to keep his eyes to the ground. He bit his lip as he felt Blackmoor's   
unforgiving gaze on him for several moments. He could sense Hintracrii in turn giving Blackmoor a cold look.   
"He caused no trouble?" Blackmoor finally said. 

"No," the lady replied with cool politeness. "He was an excellent help, model behavior. Next year I   
would ask that he be allowed to assist me again. 

Looking somewhat surprised, Blackmoor finally nodded. "We'll see. Depends on how well the slave   
behaves. In the cart, Orion. Hurry it up." 

"Yes, master,' Orion whispered. he risked a glance back to the rat and waved good-bye. And then he   
crept into the cart. 

When the jackal was finished receiving his fee form teh rat, he got into the cart with Orion. this was a   
bigger one, and closed in. and Blackmoor growled at Orion to get on the floor on the other side of the cart. "I   
don't want to sit next to a flea-ridden feline," he said. Orion had obeyed with quiet subservience. He was thinking of the kind rat and her gentle personality, and found himself wishing he was still there. 

"So you didn't cause her any trouble at all?" 

"N-no, master." 

"None?" Again the quiet reply. Blackmoor snorted. "It's a miracle. just why do you behave for her   
and not me, wretch?" 

There's one reason there, Orion thought bitterly. She doens't insult me and call me names. but of course   
he never said it aloud. Not sure how to answer, he finally answered, "I-I like her..." 

Blackmoor raised a brow. "And you don't like me?" 

Uh-oh... Well now he'd done it! And Blackmoor knew when he was lying too. "N-n-no, M-master..."   
he waited to see if he'd be struck or not. 

But the jackal only laughed. "Miserable wretch. Good, you don't have to like me. Just so you obey   
me." 

"Yes, Master." 

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Orion's thoughts were those of anger. Blackmoor wasn't fair. 

Orion had acted no differently for the lady. It was just that things Blackmoor would see as disobedience, the   
lady did not see it as such. and that was not fair! 

Frustrated at not being able to voice his frustrations, the cub closed hi eyes and waited out the ride. 

When they returned, Blackmoor wasted no time getting Orion back to work. He was not harsh with the   
boy, as he had pleased one of their best customers. The boy was put to work in the new hangar's junkyard, again only in his breeches and collar. he was nearly pounced on by Hyder and Tamarin. 

"Orion! Orion, you're back!" the young hyena grinned widely and grabbed the younger slave in a bear   
hug. 

Orion laughed and ut up with it. "Yeah, lucky you, huh?" 

Hyder snorted. "Yeah, right." 

Tamarin clapped him on the shoulder. "So tell us about it, Mr. Bigshot." They caught a taskmaster   
giving them the evil eye, and the teenaged simian hastily amended, "While we work." 

So as the three friends began their usual scavenger hunt, Orion told them all about his time with the lady   
rat. He told them about the park and how she treated him like a person, not a slave. He told them everything he   
could remember, and had a proud grin on his face as he related going into the water. 

"You actually went IN water?" Hyder said in amazement. 

Orion's grin widened, if that was possible. "Yep! And I dog paddled! Only a second though...i-it was   
pretty scary." His grin faltered, but only for a moment. "But I did it!" 

Tamarin had been looking somewhat jealous...and he was. But he laughed, knowing it was stupid to   
feel like that. "I'm glad you had some fun. You really needed it the way Buttmore smacks you around all the   
time." 

Orion nodded solemnly. "Yeah...I wish I was still there. She tried to buy me, but Blackmoor wouldn't   
let her." He had been listening. not really on purpose. but he had heard his name as he passed the door and so   
had listened. but he hadn't told Hintracrii. He didn't want her to feel bad. 

Hyder snorted. "He wanted you around to take his frustration out on, the coward." 

Orion scowled. "Yeah..." But then he shrugged. "At least she gave him a really good report so he's not   
mad at me or anything. 

Hyder nodded. "That's good." 

Chapter 22 

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	22. Chapter 22

22 

Things remained good all through winter. Orion was grateful many times that he slept in the heated   
dorm, after a long, cold day of work. Winter was good in another way as well; the work days were shorter. It   
got dark faster, and it was expensive keeping the lights on in the whole complex for too long. So Blackmoor   
had it figured as to how long he could leave the lights on and and slaves working and still make some money. 

He got no complaints from the slaves. 

Spring came, which meant longer days, but it also meant warmer weather. By mid spring it was hot, as   
was normal for this region of Plundaar, a region Orion sadly knew better than the one he lived in early in his life. 

Spring went well enough, as did the summer, the following winter. Orion had all but forgotten how it had been   
those two blissful months at the rat's house. But he never forgot her. 

Orion turned ten in the fall. Hyder was thirteen, Tamarin sixteen, nearly seventeen. Business for Blackmoor   
was bad, and he had even had to sell many of his slaves. And he was not happy about it. Slaves like Orion took   
the brunt of his anger, and all the young cat could do was try and avoid him...and not screw up. Of course he   
and the others had not been eating well lately, as Blackmoor had cut down on expenses. 

"I hate this place," the child growled as he and Hyder worked in the junkyard. 

"I hate it too!" came Tamarin's voice from across the yard. It was a small yard, and he'd been listening   
to them talk. 

Hyder nodded. 'Yeah, me three." He was becoming a handsome young adolescent. Not even Blackmoor's hellpit could take that out of him. 

"He could at least let us eat more..." Orion scowled and kicked a megacondenser, then yelped when it   
hurt his foot, Scowling at it, he kicked it again, careful not to hurt himself this time. He hiked up his breeches,   
which were threatening to fall down again. he'd lost weight, and they had been too big to begin with, There   
were holes in the knees, and the bottoms of them were mostly hole. The left leg had nothing at the calf but a   
thread of fabric attached to the hem of the pants. 

Hyder looked at his friend, then down at the offending megacondenser, then scowled at it and gave it a   
kick of his own. the two boys looked down at then device, then both laughed. "Well, feel better?" Hyder asked. 

Orion shook his head with a wry grin. "Yeah...I guess so. But I bet it doesn't." 

The next day, Hyder and Orion were sent to work in the mines, for no reason at all. Orion had not   
refused the order, but was shaking the whole time he was in the little mine. and as he got bigger, it seemed smaller and smaller. 

"Why?" he asked Hyder,. "W-we didn't do anything wrong." 

"Yeah I know but he's been in a pissy mood." Hyder scowled. "Jatiirk." 

"What did you say, wretch?!" One of the taskmasters kicked the young hyena, nearly knocking him   
to the ground. Totally surprised, Hyder spun around. "Wh-what? I didn't say anything..." 

The simian narrowed his eyes. "I thought I heard you talking about your master in words that young   
cubs shouldn't be using," he sneered contemptuously. 

Hyder shook his head. "No, sir, I was calling Orion a jatiirk." Orion shot him a look, but he ignored it. 

"Well, hoo hoo...all right,. But keep it down, brat!" 

"Yes, sir!" Hyder said, but made a face when the taskmaster wasn't looking. 

Orion laughed and whapped his young friend lightly upside the head. "Creep." 

"Hey it's better than getting beaten for it." 

Noting the lack of teasing in his friend's voice, Orion nodded grimly. "Yeah...he would've too." 

"I know." 

The boys were silent for much of their workday, but when they got back to the slave's dorm, they   
talked. After the taskmaster locked them all in for the night, Tamarin slipped over to the other two, and   
dragged a spare cot over as well. Even the strong young simian looked ragged and tired. "He's gonna kill us he   
keeps this up." They'd all been worked hard. 

Orion snorted. "No," he said bitterly. "He wouldn't even kill us...h-he just wants us miserable." 

Hyder nodded. "Yeah." He bit his lip and looked around, making sure none of the other slaves was   
listening. The majority of them were sleeping, they had been worked just as hard in the past days and weeks.   
"I-I...I've been thinking of escape," he confided in a tone almost too low to be heard. 

Orion and Tamarin looked at him in shock. "Hyder, no..." Orion said in a horrified whisper, now also   
paranoid that they might be heard. "W-we cant escape, he'd find us, and..." Oh gods, he didn't want to think of   
heat Blackmoor would do to them if he ever caught them trying to escape. Tamarin was silent. 

But Hyder was crying quietly. "I mean ti!" he exclaimed in his soft tone. "I-I never got treated this   
badly before, and...I;m scared, Orion. I'm scared he's gonna kill us sometime. And...for the first time, I've been   
thinking about my whole life." The young hyena bit his lip. "I'm thirteen, Orion...I'm a teenager now. And...I   
been a slave all my life. I don't want to be a slave anymore!" He punched his cot. "Orion you remember when   
we were talking about what we'd do if we ever weren't slaves anymore?" The cub nodded. "Well I want to do   
it! I-I want to be free like others are!" 

Neither of the others said anything for a long time, not being used to Hyder acting this way. 

"Wh-what...what would he do to us if he caught us?" Orion asked, his voice shaking. 

"I know," Tamarin said quietly. 

This time Orion and Hyder looked at him with some surprise. 

Tamarin but his lip, then the young man lifted his left foot so the others could see it in the dim security   
light. There was a large P on it, standing for potinn...it was the Plundaarian word for escape or escapee.   
Then he showed him his other foot, and there was a long white scar running the whole length of it. "Th-that's   
what he did?" Orion asked, wincing at the sight. 

"You mean you tried to escape?" Hyder asked. The three young slaves spoke in hushed tones, all thoughts of sleep forgotten.   
The young man nodded. "Yeah," he said. "That miserable damtadd caught me outside the city limits.   
He..." The normally stolid Mutant's voice faltered a little bit. "that...that was just to mark me and make it hard   
to run. he...he did other things." 

"Like what?" Orion asked, feeling bad for his friend. Hyder listened with the same horrified fascination...an there was admiration there too. Tamarin had been courageous enough to try and escape! 

Tamarin shrugged. "A lot of things. When you escape it's not always the same. he focuses on what you   
hate and are afraid of. I was only eleven...I am still terrified o the jorick ants." He looked down and   
inadvertently drew his knees up to his chest, making him look younger than his sixteen years. "H-he tied me   
down in the jorick pit for a few hours." 

Orion gasped, and Hyder's eyes widened. "But...those are deadly!" Hyder said. 

Tamarin was shivering. "I know...he stood above me the whole time while I screamed bloody murder.   
He had a decontaminator,. you know the handheld ones that kill lice and stuff with an energy beam. H-he made   
sure they didn't get dangerous to kill me." Tamarin stared hatefully at he ground. 'He beat the crap out o me   
too...his whole punishment lasted for days. then I went back into training until that damned Monkrion decided I   
was ready again...then I started all over." 

Hyder and Orion were staring at him, both shocked at what Blackmoor had done. Both of them had   
been stung by the viscous little ants before, and a bite from just one of them hurt! Neither could imagine what   
it would be like being stung over and over again... 

"W-we can't d-d-o it..." Orion whispered. Hyder said nothing. 

But then something occurred to the hyena, and he said to Tamarin, "Then...if you tried again, this would   
make a second escape attempt. Blackmoor...he'd kill you." 

Orion blinked. he had not been thinking of that. The punishment for a second escape attempt was   
death. A slow, painful one. He'd seen them before in passing, and to think of Tamarin in there... He shuddered. 

"I know," Tamarin said quietly, and then said something that scared Orion. Would he be that desperate   
in a few years as well? "But I don't care. Hyder, I'm older than you are...I'm barely an adult. I've been in here   
since I was a tiny child, and...I;m with you. I-I don't want to be a slave anymore. And...if I get caught, then better off dead. At least then I'd be free." 

The haunted look on Tamarin's face made Orion want to cry, and he saw that Hyder felt the same way. 

The hyena's expression hardened, as if his mind had been made up. "I'm going to try," he said. and looked at   
Orion. He put a hand on his shoulder. "You don't have to come, Orion. I...know how Blackmoor is towards   
you. he...he might kill you the first time.' 

Orion shook his head. "No way. I said it, and I meant it, he'd rather make me miserable, hurt me bad..." He bit his lip, wondering which one was worse. 

Hyder smiled sadly. "You don't have to go, hekti. I understand. 

But this time, it was Orion who had made a decision. "No...I'll go." He looked at the ground. 

"M-maybe...maybe my parents are still alive..." He ha not mentioned them in over two years...he had been trying not to think about them. 

Hyder nodded, and squeezed the young cat's shoulder before drawing his hand away. "Okay....now...how   
do we do it?" he looked to Tamarin. "How did you get out of the compound?" 

"Not in a way we could use," Tamarin said. "I... just bolted during a delivery of parts to one of the   
hangars. I didn't have any chains at that point, and I ust kind of snapped. They did not notice me at first, but   
then send up a hunt for me." he shrugged. "They found me that day." 

"The deliveries..." Hyder bit his lip. "We usually work the hangars...we can keep an eye on them, make   
sure we know when they are leaving and stuff..." He sounded pretty scared. When talking about freedom, the   
plan seemed pretty worth it. but when they started talking about how, it brought home that they intended to   
go ahead with it. And it was scary. 

"We can talk in the workyard out there. We know all the places we can go and not be heard," Tamarin   
suggested. "The hangar workyard I mean. all the piles of stuff." 

"O-okay...then when we get out back out, we watch." 

The decision having been made, they three lay down on their cots, and Tamarin moved to his own cot.   
Orion did not know about the others, but he was too nervous and keyed up now to sleep. And so he lay awake   
nearly until morning. 

Chapter 23 

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	23. Chapter 23

23 

For weeks, the trio watched the arrivals of deliveries, and watched those that came to pick things up. 

Food deliveries were made in the kitchen area, and were always closely guarded, with a lot of slaves working   
there. The food came regularly. and frequently...it would be too difficult to try and sneak aboard. There were   
random supplies and pickups, but nothing regular enough to be counted on. 

But the hangars now...every week, a truck came carrying parts and partial vehicles form Blackmoor's   
suppliers. And only the hangar crews worked on that, without supervision. 

"It's got to be that," Tamarin said, shivering in the early winter cold. The three were huddled behind a   
large stack of parts in the corner of the junkyard. They were working with Phiron, who had seen to it that they   
were given time to meet. After a lot of time deciding, the three youths had confided in him., he had been   
worried, and tired to talk tem out of it, but in the end recognized their need for freedom...and he said he would   
do anything to help. 

"Yeah," Hyder said. "It's the only one we could get onto...and we could make it one that Phiron was   
working on. He could see that the others were away carrying stuff while we snuck on...and since the trucks also   
take the things we don't want here away, that would give us a place to hide. 

Orion was listening quietly, as he normally did. the other two knew more what they were doing, and   
aside form an occasional suggestion. I hope Phiron doesn't get into trouble," he said. 

Hyder laughed, "Phiron? No way. he can get out of almost anything and is a better actor than even   
you.' he grinned at his young friend, hiding his own worries and fears. "Next week...no we can't then. Phiron   
won't be there. But the week afterwards we'll talk to Phiron." 

"It's gonna be winter," Tamarin pointed out. "We gotta think of everything." 

Hyder bit his lip and thought. "We can snitch supplies...everyone, when they can, take really little   
things here and there. We can keep them..." He looked the yard over. "Over there...behind the y-JV transport   
treads. No one ever uses those anymore." 

The others nodded at this idea, and they all stood before one of the taskmasters noticed they were not   
working and got suspicious. They talked to Phiron when their shift was done, and he had gravely agreed to   
help the young slaves. "Are you sure you boys won't change your minds?" he asked worriedly. "If he catches you,   
you'll be hurt bad." he looked at Tamarin. "And hell kill you. Kill you, Tamarin, murder you like the coward   
he is. You'll never see anyone on this Plundaar again." He wasn't being cruel, only trying to make the seriousness of the situation hit home. 

Tamarin nodded. "I-I know, Phiron. But...Ii don't want to be here my whole life. I've made up my   
mind." 

Phiron nodded as Hyder and Orion confirmed this, and closed his eyes. "Two weeks it is, then. And I   
hope you make it guys. I really do." 

"You won't get in trouble will you?" Orion asked, not for the first time. 

Phiron laughed and put a hand on the boy's head. "Hey I told you, stop worrying about me, kid. I can   
get out of anything. All I have to do is play dumb." 

"You're good at that," Tamarin snickered. 

Phiron laughed and drew the older slave into a manly hug. "Hey, kid," he said, his voice low. "You take   
care of yourself. I don't want to hear about your death. You got that?" 

"Hey," Tamarin said, punching Phiron lightly in the shoulder. "This is me we're talking about." 

Phiron snorted. "Yeah you got real far last time." 

"It was a fluke...just bad timing that's all..." 

The human laughed, "Go on now, kids, or you'll miss supper. Go on." His voice was friendly, but his   
eyes were concerned as he watched them leave. 

Over the next days, the trio was very cautious in snitching things like matches, food, and blankets when   
they could. No one noticed the disappearances, as all three were extremely careful not to be seen, or take   
enough to be noticed. They stashed the items n the spot that Hyder had staked out as a storage area. Thinking   
ahead, Orion had managed to swipe a laundry bag when he was working there one day...they would need something to put everything in. 

As the day approached, a day Tamarin had morbidly begin referring to as the Day of Doom, the three   
slaves became more and more nervous. They screwed up more, forgot things. Hyder once sad that if they did   
not cut it out, that they would be sent to the mines or something and not be able to try it. If they missed this   
one, it had already been decided that they would try the next. But if they kept acting suspiciously, they'd be   
watched. 

They did manage to get a hold of themselves until finally it was there. They were working in the   
hangar, watching Phiron working on a Skycutter. Even the human was edgy, and jumping at noises. "There it   
is!' Hyder hissed, as he heard the truck pulling up outside. Some of the older slaves started out to work on it.   
"All right, boys," Phiron said, as per usual. "Out in the workyard, you know the rules." The younger   
slaves weren't allowed in the hangar during deliveries. The two boys acknowledged, and headed outside where   
Tamarin already was working. 

"Is it here? he asked anxiously. 

Hyder nodded tersely. "Yeah...it's here. Remember...we gotta wait for Phiron to say "All clear." The   
three gravitated over to their secret hiding place, retrieving their supplies on the way there. Tamarin, the   
strongest of them. carried the bag. As they waited, they inched closer and closer to a corner of the fence that   
was loose; they had made sure it was loose. And they listened. 

Finally, they heard it. "All clear," they heard Phiron all to the driver. There was a grumbled reply, and   
the three escapees crawled out of the opening, shaking in fear, looking over their shoulders lest they be spotted... 

But they made it to the truck, and all was as they had planned so far. Orion had made sure the others   
went in, and there were some items in the truck. Phiron held the door open just long enough for the boys to slip   
n, then shut it hard, smacking the side. "You're shut!" he said to the driver, telling him that the door was secured.   
the surly Mutant did not reply, only sped off. 

"Behind that!" That was good. Phiron had situated an old half of a Skycutter towards the back. The   
boys should be able to barely fit in, and not be seen. The crept underneath, Orion trying not to whimper aloud.   
They still had to get past the gates...where they opened the truck up and looked inside. Hopefully they would   
do their normal, half-hearted, bored check, and miss them. 

Luck was with them. Orion froze next to Hyder, both shivering on the old metal floor as the door was   
slid open. Underneath the tail of the Skycutter, Tamarin also froze, too afraid to move. But the guards at the   
gate only looked over the contents, saw that there was only what was scheduled to go out, and shut the door again. Orion was so relieved he began to cry. Hyder held him as they made Their way out of the complex. This was it. If they did not make it, that was it; there was no going back now. 

By previous agreement, none of them spoke. The last thing that they needed was to be caught in the   
back of the truck. But the driver was oblivious, only wanting to get to the supply house and go home. 

Of course the escapees needed to get off before that. 

By peeking out of the back of the truck, they had been able to determine where they were. Phiron had   
told them how many streets they were, and where they would be most likely not to be seen slipping form the   
back of the hovertruck. And he had been right on. All three understood that this would not be possible without   
the kind human slave, and all felt gratitude towards him. 

"Okay..." Hyder said in the barest of whispers. "This one is it...get ready to go..." 

The first time the truck stopped, Hyder rose the door just enough to crawl out of, and hoped the driver   
did not hear. He, Orion and Tamarin with the bag all crawled out of the truck and hit the ground, not thinking,   
Hyder let the door slam own as the retreated, and his face went deadly white. "Run!" he hissed.   
Inn their panicked flight, they heard the driver curse and get out of the truck. As they ducked behind an   
empty building, they heard him go around to the back and look inside. They all heard the drier grumble something about incompetent slaves and latch the door again., Then he sped off. 

Tamarin closed his eyes and slumped against the wall. He let out a big breath. "We made it..." 

His heart thumping so loud he thought that Blackmoor would hear it all the way back at the compound,   
Hyder shook his head., "Not yet, Come on, lets get into the jungles. it'll be warmer there, and we can start a   
fire...Orion are you okay?" 

The youngest member of this team nodded his head, although he shook as if with the chills. He was   
very cold, but these were shivers of fear, not cold. He scurried after the others. 

Orion and the other spent a very tense night in the jungle three miles away form where they had ditched   
the truck. But when no one came for them, they were a great deal more relieved. They'd spent the night next to   
the warm fire, and when morning came, they moved on. "Wh-where do we go?" Orion asked. 

"I...I don't know, Orion, didn't you say that you met some friends when you were with the lady rat?" Hyder   
looked tense, scared. Orion didn't like it. 

The young Thunderian bit his lip. :I don't know where they are Hyder..." 

"It's all right." Tamarin's strong, confident voice made both the younger slaves feel better. "We'll find   
them. But for now...let's just get away from this city." 

Back at Blackmoor's compound, the three slaves' disappearance had surprisingly not been discovered until   
that morning. When the taskmaster discovered it, he was very nervous, and reluctant to report it to Blackmoor. 

But he finally decided he would be in deeper if he waited, and so the report was made. 

When Blackmoor found out just who it was that had escaped, he was furious. Even the taskmasters were   
afraid of his anger, and shied away from him. The black jackal started barking out orders, to find where they   
had escaped from, which direction they took. he gave the orders to interrogate everyone, to scour the whole   
place in case they were hiding somewhere. 

The orders were carried out immediately, and a group of taskmasters spread out through the complex,   
asking everyone what they had seen, and when the last time they saw the escapees was. The closest they got   
was the hangar, here those there had said they had seen the trio in mid afternoon. This being the latest they could find of them, Blackmoor came and personally questioned the slaves and workers there. 

"Well, sir, I saw them in the hangar about noon," one of them said, "Not after that though. 

The taskmaster assigned to the yard was a little more helpful. "They came back when the truck left...I   
kind of lost track of them after that...why, are they missing?" He had not yet heard of the escape. 

Growling, Blackmoor punched him squarely in the face, leaving him holding his face in complete surprise. 

"Phiron! Get over here!" 

Inwardly the older slave winced, but his face showed nothing as he approached. "Yes, sir?" 

"When'd you last see Orion and his miserable little comrades?" 

"Hyder and Tamarin?" Phiron pretended to think, and then said, "I think it was an hour or so before the   
delivery. I was too busy loading the hovertruck to keep track of them after that." 

Blackmoor growled in frustration. "The miserable little jatiirken are missing...and they are not in the   
compound.? 

"Missing? Nothing happened to them, did it, sir?" he asked, feigning concern. it did not take much   
work, he was concerned. Very concerned. 

"If not, there will be something happening to them if they've tried to escape. Who was the last to see the   
truck, Phiron?" 

"I was sir." 

Blackmoor narrowed his eyes.' "And you did not see them?" 

Phiron raised a brow. "No sir, you think they hopped a truck? If so, they did not do it while it was   
here." 

"Did you latch the door?" 

"No, sir, it makes it easier at the gate for them to—" But Phiron did not get a chance to finish the   
statement. Blackmoor snarled and slammed his fist into the humans' face, Phiron staggered, putting a hand to   
his face, and shook his head clear. He said nothing. 

Although Blackmoor knew (or thought) it was not Phiron's fault, he was there when Blackmoor took   
out his anger. "No more. From now on, you latch that door is that clear? And if you see them, you will send   
them directly to me, got that? You will deliver them to my door!" 

Phiron nodded, slowly standing straight up again. "Yes, sir." 

But as hard as Blackmoor searched for the young escapees, he could not find them. 

Hyder and the others had started to move even before dawn broke. All of them had slept poorly, always   
afraid that they would be awakened by pounding feet and angry voices. Chains, maybe stunners... But it did   
not happen. still, the boys wanted to move on before it could happen. 

It took a long, wearisome time, but the trio did finally make it to the city's borders. They had had to   
duck the authorities a few times, and each time left them all, even Tamarin, shaking in fear. but they made it,   
even with the authorities and Blackmoor's men after them. 

"We...we made it?" Orion said, amazed. "We got out of the city...! And Blackmoor lives on the other   
side of it!" He never thought that they would make it that far. 

"Hey I told you we'd make it!' Hyder said, a big grin on his face. But then he bit his lip. They'd been   
able to steal supplies from the city to replace what they used...and now they had a trek ahead of them. To the   
north, the city was bordered by forest. But they had not wanted to go that way, because Blackmoor's complex   
was right there on the northern border. And so they had gone south, where the few scraggly trees did not   
disguise the fact that they were in desert territory. "I just wish we could get the collars off. They tell anyone   
that looks at us that we're slaves." 

"I know. Maybe we should have gone to the north after all," Tamarin said. "We won't have any cover,   
no hiding places here." 

Hyder bit his lip. He'd not thought of it. 

"W-well...hopefully...maybe they won't think we got this far. We should try to get into the next city..." 

Orion sounded worried. "Do you know where that is?" 

"I do," Hyder said. "It'll probably take about three days to get there though." 

"Well we had better get moving then. We have at least three days' supplies. Come on." 

To the boys' surprise, they were not apprehended as they crossed the barren desert. They were glad   
they'd snitched a few blankets though, as it was very chilly at night. They really did not want to risk a fire, but   
they did build one on the coldest of the three nights they were in the desert. As the fire burned, warming their   
chilled faces and hands, they talked. "Hyder? What do we do when we get to the next city?" He'd been   
thinking about this all day. "Do...do we just keep running away from him? O-or can we go somewhere that we   
can stop running and...and be free? Or do we have to get off of Plundaar?" Thinking about this, Orion but his   
lip. "I-I want to go back to Thundera." 

"Can I still come with you if you do?" Hyder asked. 

Orion nodded. "Yeah...you too Tamarin, if you want to." 

But Tamarin shook his head. "No, hoo hoo, I don't think I'd like it on Thundera. They wouldn't like   
me anyway. Hyder's just a little shit..." Hyder smacked him good naturedly, and Tamarin grinned. "They'll   
accept him better. I'm too old. But I can't stay here either. Maybe I'll stow away on a transport...see where it   
goes." 

All three fell silent then. They knew that if that happened, they would probably never see the young   
simian again. "I'd miss you," Orion said quietly after a few moments. 

"Yeah..." Tamarin gave the child's shoulders an awkward squeeze. "Me too...but maybe we'd see each   
other again." 

After a while, the talk leaned more towards lighter subjects, and finally the trio slept. 

The next day, Orion's sharp feline eyes saw something that made him grin. "The city! Hyder, it's the   
city, I can see it!" 

"Where?" It was only barely dawn, and dim. "I wish I could see like you do especially in the dark." 

"It's there I see it. I bet we'll get there today!" 

They did get there that day, and all were very happy about it. They needed supplies, and they needed   
some kind of shelter. "I bet they won't know us very well here either," Hyder said. 

But then Orion saw something that made his stomach feel like he had swallowed ice. "H-Hyder...look   
over there." There was a smallish poster on one of the lantern poles...and it had their pictures on it! It had   
photographs of all three of them on it. "What does it say?" He could only read a few words, as Hyder did not   
often have opportunity to teach him. 

They ringed around the pole, and Hyder gulped. I-it says we're escaped slaves," he stammered. 

Tamarin growled and clenched his fists. "Hoo, it offers a reward for the one that captures us alive! So   
much for not being well known." he knew most residents of the place would not hesitate to turn them in. 

"Let's get somewhere off the streets then," Hyder said nervously. 

The other two were only too glad to do this, and they skulked along the streets, looking for some kind   
of abandoned building that was not already being used by anyone. The homeless of the city were just as bad as   
the rest, and would be more inclined to try and capture them for the money. 

For their first few days in the city, they did little traveling. They were too spooked by the discovery of the   
wanted poster, and did not want to be out in the open long. When they did travel, it was at night, in the shadow   
of the buildings. 

One of these times, Orion came up with an unpleasant thought. "If there were wanted posters here," he   
whispered to his companions, "That means Blackmoor was here too!" 

This was something that had not occurred to any of them. But it had dampened their mood even more. 

Chapter 24 

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	24. Chapter 24

24 

One night, as the three youths desperately tried to get out of the city, they found that they were near the   
border. They also found something else. Something frightening. Something that none of the three wanted to   
see: a blockade. Orion turned nearly white. "Uh-oh..." he whispered in a shaky voice. There were lights, people patrolling back and forth, some of the city's authorities; but most were Blackmoor's men. Orion recognized them. "We gotta go back..." 

"Wait...let's listen in first." And so Tamarin, Hyder, and Orion crept behind an old shed to listen to   
what was going on. To their horror, Blackmoor himself was with them! Did they know they were there? 

"How can you be so sure that they're here, Blackmoor?" came a voice. Orion shuddered as he listened   
to it. Monkrion, the simian that had trained him. 

"I've had a few reports of the shits roaming through here," he growled. "And when I catch them, they   
will be sorry that they ever defied me." The jackal spoke quietly, but his tone was ice cold. Unforgiving. 

"What if they try and double back?" Hyder scowled. He had been thinking of it. 

"We've got a few men down there at the other border, and that's nothing but desert. Even if they tried   
to leave from the east or west, or some place in between, they would be caught on our sensors. No, Monkrion. 

We have them. It's just a matter of time. 

Hyder made a frantic "this way" gesture, and jerked his thumb back towards the city. 

Several blocks away, the three escapees talked in frantic, hushed voices. they were afraid to speak   
loudly, even though Blackmoor was well out of earshot. "How?!" Hyder asked, pacing the room of a demolished building. 

"I-I don't know..." Orion said worriedly. He was sitting on the floor, his arms wrapped around his   
knees. He was near tears. "I-if they catch us they'll hurt us bad, and never let us be together again, and..." He   
looked at Tamarin, but didn't want to say what would happen to him. 

"All right, all right, let's just calm down here," the simian said. He was as scared as his younger friends,   
but was trying not to show it. "We need to think about this, I say we hide in the city...maybe they'll give up   
eventually." 

"But the while city's probably on the lookout for us!" Hyder said. He growled and he punched a wall. 

"Those stupid wanted posters are all over the place!" 

"They can't catch us!' Orion wailed, finally bursting into tears. "They can't, they can't..." 

"Al right!' Tamarin shouted finally, running a nervous hand through he fur on his head. "All right...we   
all have to calm down. Come on, let's get a little farther away from the blockade..." 

And so they did, being herded along by Tamarin. Silently, cautiously, they investigated the city and   
found that indeed, they had sensors all over the place...they had even seen some within the city itself! after that,   
they stayed away from them...the ones that they could see. 

Ironically, it was not a sensor that finally tipped Blackmoor off as to where his young slaves were   
hiding; it was a citizen of the planet. A citizen that incidentally had been a slave himself once. Many   
Plundaarians of poor status in life end up or start out in slavery. They have to earn their freedom. but he had   
seen the young escapees and needed the money., And so he had told Blackmoor exactly where they were sleeping for the night. He had followed them all day. 

Blackmoor had already given a reward to the woman that had told him what city they were in. And he   
gladly paid this one as well...he wanted the boys' hides, and he wanted them now. 

Orion was the first to awaken, three days after they nearly ran into the blockade. he sat bolt upright,   
panic running through his mind at hearing the voice he hated so badly. "Hyder!" he screamed. "Hyder, they   
found us!" 

The other two woke immediately and listened to the Mutants breaking in the door they'd barricaded   
with old, heavy furniture. "The window!' Tamarin hissed, the fear apparent in his eyes. Orion saw his fear and   
it scared him still more. He nodded and they tried. 

But they found that they could not even budge the glass! When Tamarin took a chair and tried to break   
it, all the wood did was splinter! "What the hell!'" 

"Force fields... Hyder whispered. "Oh no, upstairs!' 

The three friends bolted up the stairs just as Blackmoor and the other Mutants wielding the metal   
battering ran broke in through the door. "Get back here!" Blackmoor snarled as he stalked up the stairs after   
the escapees. he knew the place was surrounded by a confining force field, all but the front door. They were   
trapped. "You're already in big trouble. you little shits! Get back here now!' 

"Go away!' came Orion's terrified cry. They were trying to pry another window open. 

The jackal growled in fury and bolted up the steps. he burst into a bedroom of the abandoned home, and   
all three slaves spun around, fearfully. "You just made the biggest mistake of your lives," he growled low, his   
lips set in a hateful snarl. He looked hard at Hyder, and even harder at Orion. the cub was cowering behind his   
friend. then he turned his angry gaze on Tamarin. "And it as be the last mistake you ever make!" 

Tamarin howled, a simian battle cry, and suddenly launched himself at Blackmoor. With Mutants   
blocking the door, Hyder and Orion could only watch in horror, as the surprised jackal started fighting with   
Tamarin. The young man had nearly taken Blackmoor out with his impressive strength, but the two Mutants at   
the door jumped in, taking shots at Tamarin with their stunners when they had a clear shot,. Weakened, 

Tamarin finally could not fight anymore as Blackmoor pinned him to the ground. Both parties were panting   
for breath, and Blackmoor's eyes nearly blazed with fury. "Chains!" he roared, and one of the Mutants came   
over and used his restraints to tightly bind Tamarin's wrists behind him and his legs together. They called a couple of jackals to haul him out to the transport. 

Shaking with exertion, Blackmoor slowly stood to regard the two younger slaves. "And you." his voice   
was cold, pitiless...venomous. "You will get over here. Now." The words were quiet, but intense, and holding   
more command in them that Orion had ever could. As tears streamed down his face and he shook his head back and forth quickly...as even Hyder swallowed hard and seemed on the verge of tears himself, neither of them moved. 

Finally. Blackmoor lunged at the both, making the pair cry out in alarm. He grabbed Hyder by the ear   
and threw him violently enough across the room to both tear part of his ear and for him to nearly bowl over   
one of the Mutants that had been guarding the door. He immediately caught the young hyena and bound him as   
Tamarin had been bound. 

Now without any kind of protection, Orion nearly wet himself, too terrified to move. Blackmoor   
grabbed his mane and threw the cub across the room as well, but he threw him at the wall. Orion hit it hard,   
and sprawled on the floor, dazed. Blackmoor forced him to his feet by his mane, tearing some of the hair as for   
a moment it bore Orion's entire weight. Orion was whimpering in fear, but Blackmoor ignored this. Growling low threats and insults, telling him how much he was going to suffer and regret his mistake, Blackmoor roughly bound him, and he too was taken out. 

The three prisoners did not see each other on the trip home, a trip that was far too short in their minds. 

The transport was much faster than a cart would have been. Orion cried quietly in the little holding cell he had   
been thrown into, and curled up on the floor. If only they'd not tried... 

When they got back to the compound, Blackmoor himself dealt with Orion. At first, nothing too violent   
was done... Blackmoor shoved him into the box and closed the sides in tight enough to crack two of his ribs. he   
cried out in pain s he tried to take a breath, and it was nearly impossible. To add to this horror, with Orion's   
head forced down by the top of the box, Blackmoor filled it nearly all the way with water. Orion had to fight to   
keep his nose and mouth above water. The poor cub was already screaming in terror. 

Blackmoor had his older slave to deal with first. Tamarin would not survive the week, this was certain.   
but the jackal was going to make him suffer first. 

Hyder and Orion were both shoved into the box, and although it was bad for Hyder as well, at least he   
did not have to contend with water. Orion was going to be the most harshly disciplined, just because Blackmoor did not like him. 

They were both left in there for several hours, while Blackmoor took care of Tamarin. And then he let   
them out. They would not be punished yet. not physically. 

Hyder was dragged, not to the main disciplining chamber, but to a foot-high stage in the middle of the   
compound, where the taskmasters had gathered many of the slaves. It was mostly the newer slaves, for a death made for a very convincing spectacle. A rack had been set up in the middle of it... Hyder was chained to a post, a taskmaster at his side to ensure that he watched. 

Phiron was there as well. Blackmoor had ordered him to be present, as he now mildly suspected him of   
helping the three young slaves, or at least of knowing their plans and not reporting him. He would not be punished, but he would be made to watch. 

The jackal dragged Orion out of the box. The child's chest heaved with his desperate breaths, not   
having enough oxygen even to cry by this point. He hauled the child up, still bound with his arms behind him   
back and his feet together, to a standing position. he shook Orion, eliciting a strangled cry of pain. Without a   
word, he literally dragged Orion to the viewing area. Hyder had been unbound, but Orion was not. He was   
only forced to stand next to the pole he was chained to. If he were to sit, he'd strangle himself. And Monkrion   
had been called to make sure that Orion watched the spectacle as well. 

Blackmoor stepped onto the stage and watched with his eyes narrowed as Tamarin was dragged onto to   
stage by two taskmasters, fighting the whole way. Hyder and Orion could clearly see that the simian had been   
badly beaten, and it looked as if Blackmoor had taken a knife to his body...even his face! There were deep cuts   
all over his body, and his face was slashed twice...in an X. But still he fought. 

The two Mutants forced Tamarin onto the rack, and secured his hands in the ropes. But he didn't start   
tightening the rack yet, at least not all the way. He stretched Tamarin enough so that he could not move more   
than a few inches, and picked a thick bamboo rod off of the ground,. He laid into the young man, who had   
been stripped of his clothing and collar. He didn't need a collar now; he would not be sent back to work in the   
morning. 

Tamarin tried valiantly to still his cries, but he could not. He had already taken too much abuse,   
constantly, in the hours they had been back at the complex. Blackmoor struck hard, cracking ribs, striking   
with a good deal of his strength. When he finally tired of this, Tamarin's body was covered with dark, angry   
looking bruises, forming already form the viscous assault. The simian was panting hard, staring into the sky. 

Orion and Hyder both had instinctively tried to turn away from this, but the taskmasters with them had   
both harshly encouraged them to look. Hyder's guard forcefully turned his head and held his eyes open. 

Monkrion simply struck Orion with his whip until he was watching. He begged not to be made to look, but his   
pleas fell on uncaring ears. 

Finally, Blackmoor began tightening the rack. He took the metal rod used to turn the wheel, and fit it   
into the slot...and turned. Turn after relentless turn. Orion watched the strain on Tamarin's muscles and joints,   
saw the pain on his face as the pressure became unbearable. he heard a crack as something either broke or   
dislocated, and Tamarin screamed. Again Orion tried to look away, tears streaming down his face, and was made   
to watch. 

Finally, Tamarin's resolve broke. The terror was unrestrained as he screamed, "I don't want to die!!" 

Blackmoor only laughed and listened to him scream again as he tightened the rack once more.   
The slaver was tortuously slow about it. he made sure that the simian suffered, even in his death. 

Tamarin's mind was beyond coherent thought at this point, and he was going into shock. but he still felt every   
shock of agony that ripped through his body as his joints dislocated. his spine was under strain form the pull,   
even as the weaker ankles and wrists began to tear from the body, His wrists were already broken, one of his   
ankles nearing that point. Blood streamed form his mouth form the damage being done to his spine. Even   
his eyes bled. he had long since stopped begging Blackmoor to stop...he was beyond that now. 

The effect Blackmoor wanted would not be accomplished with the rack. He knew this. He wanted the   
slave dismembered, in pieces. It always made for an extremely effective demonstration. A second escape   
attempt did not often happen in Blackmoor's complex, the first was usually enough to convince a slave to behave. but when it happened, he wanted it to make an impression. 

Once Tamarin was stretched to an impossible length, his body looking almost like a bloody optical   
illusion,. Blackmoor took a second item off the ground. It was a simple battle ax. As the slaves watched,   
horrified, he brought it down on Tamarin's arm, at the shoulder. The arm was severed with one swipe of the   
mighty weapon. Blackmoor did the same with the other arm, and the legs at the groin. horrifyingly enough,   
Tamarin was still conscious and sentient at this point...although as Blackmoor severed his left leg, he finally,   
mercifully blacked out. With a sneer, Blackmoor finished the job and decapitated him. 

Once this was finished, Blackmoor looked at the shocked faces of the crowd. The only children there   
were Hyder and Orion, and Hyder had his eyes tightly shut, and nothing was convincing him to open the,. Even   
the guard could not pry them open. Orion was screaming softly. It was not exactly a scream, but an intense   
sob. His eyes were also shut, although Monkrion had struck him several times. never, ever, would the horrible   
scene remove itself from Orion's mind. He was shaking badly. A friend he had trusted, and even loved as a   
brother had just been horribly slain in front of him. he too had begged Blackmoor not to kill him, but the jackal   
had not even looked at him. 

"Take him," Blackmoor growled, gesturing to Hyder. "Take him to the training building. Have Monkrion take care of him." he looked at Monkrion. "You know what to do. Go 'greet' him." 

The simian smirked, nodded, and left Blackmoor and Orion alone. The rest of the slaves were being   
shoed off to do their work. Soon it was only Blackmoor and Orion...who had not yet even noticed that   
Blackmoor was there. The heavy backhand to the face let him know this fact. He looked up at the jackal with   
dazed eyes. 

"It's far from over, cub," he snarled, and hit him again. The jackal went over to the rack and shoved   
Tamarin's body onto the ground, still pouring blood from the severed limbs. It soaked into the dirt, turning it a   
morbid reddish brown. Then he went back to Orion and released him from the pole. He unchained his had s and   
feet for the time being. "Look at me!" he commanded, grabbing him by the mane again and hauling him to his   
feet. 

Orion cried out, his scalp already sore. He stared at Blackmoor with wide eyes. 

"You are going to clean this up, brat," Blackmoor hissed. "And every drop of blood had better be   
cleaned from this stage, or you're find yourself in even more misery." 

Clean...clean it up!? No...he couldn't do that...! Orion started to stammer a refusal, when Blackmoor's   
fist slammed into the side of his face. Orion sprawled on the bloody ground, dazed. He screamed when   
Blackmoor kicked him in the side. "You will do as I order, wretch," he growled, taking his whip out. He laid   
into the cub, ordering him with each strike to get up. Finally, Orion forced himself to crawl to the pole he'd been chained to and force himself to his feet, sobbing, praying that Blackmoor would stop his beating. 

Once the boy was on his feet, Blackmoor threw down the whip and grabbed Orion's collar. He forced   
him down to his hands and knees next to Tamarin's limbless body. he shoved Orion's face right down into one   
of the bleeding, gaping wounds. "You DARE disobey my order! 

Orion had shrieked and tried to pull away, and held his breath as the overpowering stench of blood filled   
his nostrils. Blackmoor pushed his face down once, then let go. Orion recoiled, gagging, wiping desperately at   
his face. He turned once, and threw up. 

"You want to go through all that again?" Blackmoor asked, his tone quiet and cold, like drops of ice. 

Orion shook his head immediately. "Then get TO it! You know where the incinerator is. Do it, now!"   
All it took was for Blackmoor to approach Orion with his whip for the terrorized child stammered a   
frantic acknowledgement of the order, and looked to the body and the limbs. And the head...it was somehow   
the worst. He could still see the fear in the eyes...as if they were alive.... 

Shuddering violently, shaking almost too hard to complete the task, Orion dragged the torso across the   
compound. For a horrible moment, he realized that he could not lift the body up, and knew that Blackmoor was   
watching him from several feet away. But one of the older slaves had been watching sympathetically for a few   
moments, and looked at Blackmoor. The jackal nodded, and the slave helped Orion lift the body. The boy thanked her gratefully. 

He had to force himself to go back to the horrible, grisly sight. The head. Orion's clothing had been   
stripped form him, so he could not even cover it. It took several minutes for him to get the courage up to grasp   
the head. it felt horrible... warm, almost still alive. The little slave nearly did not make it to the incinerator,   
and threw up again in the dirt when he returned. He begged Blackmoor not to make him go any further, but only received the crack of the whip across his back thrice, for his plea. 

Orion's mind was on automatic as he released the limbs form their restraints and carried them one by   
one, shaking as he moved the bloodied items. When he finally came back again, he saw that Blackmoor had   
gotten a hose attached to a nearby building, and without warning turned it on, aimed at the little cat. Surprised,   
Orion had been knocked down by the water jet, but he didn't complain. Although it was cold out and the water   
hurt, he wanted the horrible blood off of him... 

Not all of it came off though. As Blackmoor turned it on the stage and the rack, and then turned it off,   
Orion's fur was still streaked red...some of it his, some of it Tamarin's. Blackmoor made him go inside and carry a bucket of soapy water outside. The jackal knocked it over on the stage and told him to get to work. 

Orion spent four hours scrubbing the stage and the rack clean. Three buckets of water later, both were   
as clean as they would get, and Orion was exhausted...and in shock. After the jackal made him clean the   
opening into the incinerator, then turn it on, he led the boy back to the cells he first stayed in, when he was a   
newcomer to the complex. When he had recovered enough...the real ordeal would begin. 

Chapter 25 

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	25. Chapter 25

25 

When a medic was sent to Orion's cell to cleanse the whip lashes and check on his condition, Orion was   
staring blankly at the wall. He'd had his eyes open long enough for them to be watering, and the medic   
frowned. But still, although somewhat severe, the reaction was to be expected, after what Blackmoor had made   
him do. He shrugged indifferently and used the medical scrub brush and the harsh antiseptic to clean the lashes   
on Orion's back. He was surprised when the cub did not cry out, indeed hardly moved while he performed the   
task. mental shock. He would likely come out of it in a day or so. 

It actually took nearly four days for Orion to recover enough for any punishment to make an impact. 

Blackmoor had once during this time smacked him hard enough to send him into the wall, and Orion had said   
nothing. The scant water he was given had to be forced down his throat; he did not fight, but he didn't cooperate either. 

But finally, one morning, a guard came in to check on him to find him curled in the corner, the first time   
he had done anything but sit and stare blankly at the wall. Orion was crying quietly, curled into a little ball. 

"Hey kid," he said, and Orion made direct eye contact with him. Yes, he was recovering. 

"I-I want T-Tamarin b-b-back!" 

The guard blinked and turned away from the cell, scowling at himself at the shock of conscience that he   
had felt at the child's heartbroken cry. 

But Blackmoor was notified, and Orion was given a couple more days to recover, and heal. Blackmoor   
wanted him to be able to take his punishment, and to remember it well. Finally, he stood in Orion's cell,   
watching the little boy cower away from him. He snorted in derision. "Pathetic," he spat. as if the word itself   
were a curse. "Get up." 

Orion of course did not, and Blackmoor had to drag him from the little stone cell. That was the last he   
would see of it for a long, long while. 

The escapee was taken to a place he had never seen before...he had not even known it existed. None of   
the slaves talked about it...because most of them did not know about it. Only those who messed up severely ever saw this place, and they were not many. Even Hyder would not be brought here. 

Orion shook in fear as he was dragged down to a level of the building below the ground. A cellar...or   
more appropriately a dungeon. Those that did know the place called it the pit. The sewer passed through   
here, and Orion could smell it. The odor made him want to gag. It was a dirty, damp, dismal, frightening   
version of the upper level, with tiny, dirt floor cells and a small chamber for discipline. 

It was here that Orion was strapped into an old iron chair, shivering in the cold, and watching   
Blackmoor fearfully for what he would do next. But a blindfold was tied roughly over his eyes, making him   
yelp in alarm. He felt himself start to panic; the situation was bad enough but not being able to see... He heard   
Blackmoor behind him, doing something, and felt heat. He was grateful for it...at first. It took some of the harsh chill out of the air. but when he heard Blackmoor stoking coals, he suddenly knew what was going to happen. He was going to be branded. he even heard the iron being moved around in the coals. "No..." he whispered, but yelped when he was smacked upside the head. 

"Quiet," Blackmoor growled. "Did I say you could speak?" Orion shook his head, biting his lip. "Then   
don't!" The jackal let the iron heat up, and released one of Orion's arms. The boy tried to fight, but he was   
weakened by his ordeal thus far, and could do nothing as Blackmoor raised his hand towards a shackle hanging   
form the ceiling It was there for the very purpose he was going to use. He brought it down enough so that it   
would reach, and snugged it around Orion's wrist. Then he retrieved the red-hot iron and held Orion's body still. 

At Orion's fear protest, he responded with no words, only pressed the brand into the sensitive flesh under his arm. 

Orion screamed and tried to jerk away as the brand sank into his skin. It was a largish brand, with   
heated spikes in the shape of the Plundaarian letter P. P stood for "potinn", the Plundaarian word for escape, or   
escapee, the same one Tamarin had sported on his foot. Blackmoor held Orion still while he held the spiked   
brand in his skin, then finally withdrew it. He rubbed some of the hot ash into the wound to ensure scarring,   
then let Orion's arm down. He let out a strangled sounding cry as his arm was lowered and the burned skin still   
felt as if it was being seared. 

Blackmoor casually put away his equipment, and finally forced Orion over to the wall. The child was   
beaten with a rod. 

After this, Blackmoor left him there for a while, chained to the wall, then returned and beat him again.   
he smiled unpleasantly as Orion begged him desperately to stop, but he did not, and moved on to a whip when   
he had tired of the rod. "I will not stop, he told the sobbing cub calmly. "I told you that you would pay for   
defying me, for fighting, for escaping and making me look bad. I told you that you would pay." And the jackal   
continued. 

After four days of this, being beaten frequently with a rod, or with the whip, sometimes by Blackmoor   
and sometimes by a taskmaster, Orion was taken down. he collapsed to the floor, unable to stand, and was   
dragged across the dirt to one of the tiny cells. It was dark, with a solid steel door. And it was small... Orion   
cried out as the door shut on him, and crawled to it to start banging...he pounded no the door until his hands   
were bleeding, so great was his panic. But the door remained closed and locked, and Orion sank sobbing to the   
floor. 

After a while, the feeling of suffocation abated a little bit. he was vaguely aware that he had wet himself   
at one point or another, and that he had to go to the bathroom again. There was a hole on the dirt that led to the   
sewers, and he could smell it. he crept toe two feet or so over to it, whimpering at the pain from the beatings,   
and did his business. but here there was nothing to clean himself with. There was only a pile of straw and dirt.   
He used some of the straw to do a poor job of it, and had to endure feeling dirty afterwards. not that anyone   
could tell, he thought hatefully. The whole place smelled like excrement. 

After a long time, Orion curled up carefully on the dirty straw and closed his eyes. He did not sleep so   
much as pass out from exhaustion, not a foot away from the hole-toilet. 

For the next month, Orion was left in the little cell. He was fed every few days, only enough to keep   
him barely alive, and given water somewhat more frequently. But he never got enough of either. Pretty soon,   
he stopped eating, figuring it better to starve, than to suffer. This ploy had been discovered, and he beaten   
badly for it, and then force fed. He ate his food after that. 

Several times, after eating the food given to him, he had become ill, with horrible stomach pains.   
Enough to make him cry, the cramps did not stop for a few hours. Poison. The food had been mildly poisoned.   
But what choice did he have? If he refused, he starved, and they would not even allow him the release of death.   
At irregular intervals, someone would come down there, drag him out of his cell, and beat the living   
daylights out of him. Orion never knew when they were coming, and they occurred anywhere from every   
twelve hours or so, to every few days. Once a whole week went by, then he was beaten three times in the space   
of twenty four hours. Each time, he begged them not to hurt him anymore, but it never did any good. They never stopped. Just kept hitting him until he couldn't stand it...then left him alone. Bones had broken in several places, some cracked, a couple broken obviously. They were not tended. 

The torment was not kept to traditional beatings, either. Once he was forced to drink water until his   
stomach felt as if it would burst, and he was sick. He'd thrown up several times after that, and felt ill for a day. 

He was often dunked, in filthy, stinking water in the fetid dungeon. After one of these, the boy got an ear infection. The medic that came down every few days to make sure Orion would not die on them, had been somewhat concerned over the infection...not because he cared about Orion, but because a deaf slave was of less value than one who could hear. Finally he had given the boy an antiseptic shot and put eardrops in both ears. 

It took a long time, especially since Blackmoor didn't stop dunking him just because of that, but the painful infection did clear, with no damage to the inner ear. It only made him miserable. 

The cell was cold, and often damp. Condensations formed on the walls, seeping into the dirt, and   
chilling the boy to the bone. It was rare that he did not shiver, and he has begged several times for a blanket   
Every time he was denied. 

Nearing the end of his month in the pit, Blackmoor came in once more. Terrified, as he had done   
several times, Orion whimpered and backed up into the corner of the tiny cell. His claustrophobia never   
completely loosed its hold on him in this tiny place, but it had eased up a good deal as he became used to his   
surroundings. And he would rather stay in it than face Blackmoor again. but the jackal said nothing to him yet,   
only dragged him out of cell towards the chamber at the end of the hall. 

Orion whimpered and asked that he not be hurt again. Or dunked. But Blackmoor just smacked him   
in the face, and shoved him violently backwards. The jackal grabbed the chain between the leg irons, to hoist   
Orion's feet into the air. A chain was attached form the ceiling to his ankle chains, and so Orion's shoulders and   
head were the only things on the ground. Hie chained hands could not help relieve the pressure. What was Blackmoor going to do? 

"Now," Blackmoor said, looking at the gaunt, wretched cub on the ground. "I am going to make sure   
that you do not ever try and escape again, Orion. In fact, you won't be able to run at all for a long time." 

One of the boy's legs was broken, he could see, and smiled unpleasantly. 

Orion was crying. "I-I-I won't...I w-won't...M-m-master...I won't, n-not ever a-a-again...I-I promise, I   
promise! P-Please...don't' h-h-hurt me anymore..." 

"Quiet!" Blackmoor went to the wall and selected a short bamboo rod. He brought it over to Orion's   
suspended feet and struck it, not too hard, not too light. He struck the soles of his feet, where it was sensitive.   
Orion cried out and whimpered, not knowing what would happen. 

Blackmoor began to rhythmically strike the soles of the boy's feet, not quite hard enough to break the   
skin, at least not yet. But as he continued, his blows became harder, and soon Orion's feet were cut and   
bleeding. He was crying hysterically, still begging Blackmoor to stop. But he did not until he thought that Orion   
had had enough. And he was taken back to his cell. 

This happened two more times during Orion's stay, every other day. The final time, Blackmoor hit   
hard, splitting the skin of Orion's feet open, making them bleed down into his legs. The young slave was in hysterics,   
and had given up pleading. His teeth were clenched, his eyes squeezed shut, his hands balled into fists. He was   
only waiting desperately for it to be over. 

And finally it was. Blackmoor let Orion down, where he lay sobbing, not moving at all. "Get over   
here," Blackmoor commanded, moving to the wall and leaning casually against it. Terrified not to obey, Orion   
forced himself to crawl, as he could not stand on his swollen, bleeding feet. "Kneel, wretch." Orion did, crying   
out in pain as he did. "Good," Blackmoor growled. he noted that Orion looked down at the ground as he was   
supposed to, and knelt even though it caused him pain. He'd learned this lesson well. "What are you?" he demanded. 

Orion's stressed mind thought frantically, and finally, he stammered, "A-a-a s-s-slave?" he said,   
his voice a hoarse whisper 

Blackmoor smacked him. "What are you, you stupid, weak excuse for a slave?! What have you learned   
here, brat?" 

So that's what he wanted. He wanted Orion to tell him all the nasty things that they'd said about him.   
"A-a w-w-worthless wr-wretch," he stammered, tears falling form his eyes." 

"That's better. What else?" 

This went on for a few minutes, until Orion could think of nothing else that they had ever called him.   
His face would have been flaming in shame had it not been so abysmally pale. Finally Blackmoor stopped.   
"Good. Stand up, wretch." 

Stand...? But..but he couldn't stand! Orion was about to stammer that he couldn't, but imagined   
Blackmoor really giving him a _reason_ not to be able to stand, like crippling him, and his bit his lip. Slowly,   
the pain apparent in his expression, Orion forced himself to stand on his battered feet. The bones had been cracked, the skin open and bleeding, and he could not put weight on one of his legs. It had been fractured. 

"I hope you've learned your lesson, brat," Blackmoor growled as he began to lead Orion upstairs. 

Upstairs! Could...could it be over? was Blackmoor letting him go back upstairs? Was he done hurting   
him so badly? "Y-y-y-yes...y-yes, M-m-master..." he whispered. 

"Good! Then you're not as stupid as I thought, wretch. Hurry up!" 

Orion did stagger on his feet as fast as he could, which was not fast. Had Blackmoor not had a strong grip on his arm, he would not have been able to walk at all. 

The child was taken to the medical station, where a few slaves lay. The medic on-duty, a vultureman   
named Groctis, looked at the little slave as he was brought in. "I want him cleaned up, he smells like shit," the   
jackal greeted him. Orion did smell like excrement. not being able to clean himself, living in the filthy   
dungeon, he smelled bad. "I want his injuries cleaned, nothing more. No painkillers, no bandages." he looked   
at the boy's feet. "Except his feet. I don't want infection." He paused. "And splint his leg so he can walk. 

The Reptilian nodded and led Orion gently towards the shower, using his skeleton key to remove the leg   
and wrist irons. He did not need them while he stayed there, and the medic was one of the more decent Mutants in the place. 

"Allow him some broth and water, and rest for twenty-four hours, then return him to the east cells." 

The medic nodded again, and Blackmoor left with a growled threat for Orion to behave. 

The terrorized cub had no intentioned of being disobedient. He did exactly as he was told to, and   
immediately. The medic helped Orion limp into the little shower in the medical room, leaving the door open. Groctis he knew of Orion's fear. He helped Orion wash up, as the boy was reluctant to wash the injuries, because it hurt. As Orion cried out as his back was scrubbed, the healer said gently, "Shhh, I know it hurts. We're almost done." Orion didn't say a word against him. 

Finally Orion was clean, and smelled like clean fur, not the sewer. Groctis helped the young slave onto   
the medical bed and told him in a low tone that he had to sanitize the injuries on his feet. Orion only nodded   
timidly, clenching his teeth in anticipation. He whimpered as the wounds were cleaned, and the bandages put   
on. So exhausted, he was scarcely able to stay awake long enough to drink the broth and water. Finally he   
was allowed to sleep, and sank into the deep slumber that only unconsciousness or sheer exhaustion can bring.. 

The medic covered the shivering cub with a blanket and turned the heater in the room up while he worked. 

Chapter 26 

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	26. Chapter 26

26 

Orion woke two hours later with a nightmare. he had not cried out. Even in his sleep, he had trained   
himself not to be loud if he had a nightmare; he got in trouble if he made too much noise and irritated a grumpy   
taskmaster. When he opened his eyes he saw the room was empty. The two others that had been there were   
gone, having been tended and allowed to rest for a little while. Orion mercifully never found out, but one of   
them had died from his sickness. After Tamarin, he just might have been the last straw for his overstressed   
mind. 

He fell asleep again. 

It was several hours later when he awoke. The boy had slept for fourteen hours, longer than he had ever   
slept living in the hellpit Blackmoor called his compound. Groctis was back, and he watched the Mutant   
silently, with terrified eyes. After a moment, the healer noticed he was being watched and smiled. "How are   
you feeling, Orion?" he asked him. 

Too afraid to speak, Orion shrugged and looked down. He was curled up cautiously under the blanket.   
He hurt. 

Groctis sighed quietly and slowly approached the boy. He had seen him several times before, and they   
knew each other fairly well. Blackmoor hurt him more than most the others, and Groctis was the main heeler for   
the slaves. But even so, Orion cringed back form him. He had never done that before. "Easy," he whispered,   
and pulled up a chair so he wouldn't be towering over the little Thunderian. Carefully, he laid a hand on Orion's   
head. "It will be all right. It's over now." 

Shaking, Orion nodded his head, feeling tears burning his eyes. He put his thumb in his mouth, something he had not done in a few years. 

"Hey," said Groctis in his low, gentle tone. "Will you let me trim your mane a little bit, and brush it   
out?" The child's mane was growing long, and usually it was chopped off by an ill- wielded dagger when it   
got that way. Blackmoor and his taskmasters didn't care what he looked like, just so the mane wasn't getting in   
their way, or Orion's when he worked. 

Orion hesitated for a moment. Understandably, he didn't trust any of the Mutants around him with anything sharp. But after a moment he did nod his head., Groctis never made him answer up or call him sir...and now he was grateful for it. 

Groctis smiled. "Okay Hold still, Orion, all right?" He retrieved some medical scissors and sat down   
once more. He did not make Orion sit up, only began to carefully trim hid matted mane away from his eyes. He   
cut it somewhat short. he knew Orion didn't care what he looked like, and that way it would take longer for it   
to grow out. Then he wouldn't have to put up with some exasperated taskmaster getting clumsy with his blade   
doing it himself. He gently moved Orion's head so that he could get the back, and the other side. When he was   
done, he took a brush from another drawer and began to brush his mane out. It took a while, but the medic was   
a patient man. 

Tense at first, Orion closed his eyes tightly, But he knew Groctis would not harm him, and after a   
moment relaxed a little. So rarely did he received any care...he knew that Groctis probably felt sorry for what he   
went through. The gentle brushing made him want to sleep again. 

Groctis did not mind. He patted the boy's head when he was finished and swept the cut hair into a wastebarrel.   
When Orion woke once more, it was to the unpleasant sound of his master's voice. Then he was wide   
awake, his eyes opening in fear. He whimpered and cringed on the bed when the jackal entered the room. 

Groctis was still in the room and raised a brow. "I thought he was to be given twenty-four hours?" he   
asked in a mild tone. It had only been twenty. 

"I came to see what condition he's in,. When can he go back to work?" 

Groctis sighed. "If you give him light duty, he can go to work in a couple of days. I would not start him   
with the heavy stuff for at least a week. And you really should feed him better if you want any kind of efficiency." 

"He'll be fed enough." he reached forward and grabbed Orion's shortened mane. The child whimpered. "What's this?"   
"I cut it sir, so you wouldn't have to bother." 

"I see." Blackmoor looked coldly at Orion. "Get down on the floor and kneel, wretch." 

Groctis frowned in disapproval, but said nothing, as Orion bit his lip and whispered his answer. He   
painfully climbed down from the medical table, biting back an outcry as he stepped down. But he knelt silently   
on the tile floor. He closed his eyes tightly, shaking from the pain his broken leg was sending up.   
"Lick my boot." 

Oh gods not again... Orion thought the words, but even as he thought them, he crawled forward to do as   
he'd been commanded. but Blackmoor didn't make him do it for long. He laughed and kicked him lightly in   
the side. The child lost his balance and fell over on the floor. "Good slave." He narrowed his eyes. "Get back   
on your knees!" 

With a terrified, stammered apology, Orion got back up into the kneeling position that Blackmoor demanded of his slaves. 

"That's better." He then turned to Groctis. 'He can stay here for tonight, But at midmorning I will   
comer to see how he has behaved, and then I want him in the cells. When he's able, I want him in the dining   
hall cleaning tables." Blackmoor's dining hall was not used only for special occasions, like for the king's visit,   
but was normally used for an actual restaurant. one of Blackmoor's many businesses. 

"Yes, sir," the medic told him, and watched him leave. Once he was gone, he knelt by Orion. "You can   
get up now, Orion." He had always made a point of calling the slaves by their names, instead of "slave" or   
"wretch" or anything along those lines. Even "little one" and other usually kind names sounded demeaning to   
him. 

Orion let himself be helped back up onto the table, but he didn't look at the medic. He was too ashamed. But Groctis understood. "It's time for supper," he said. "I'll go get you something, all right?" Blackmoor had not said he couldn't eat supper, after all. 

After a simple dinner of a somewhat bland stew (the medic didn't want to overwhelm the boy's   
stomach), Groctis turned out the light in the room. But at Orion's frightened cry, he turned it back on. "All   
right, all right, I forgot." Orion was not usually afraid of the dark, but when he couldn't see how big the room he   
was in was, and after his ordeal, he was sensitive. "We can keep it on." He grinned and whispered conspiratorially   
to the cub, "Tomorrow before he comes back, I'll get you some painkillers. Can't give you pills or anything,   
but I have a few salves." he winked as he left, locking the door behind him. 

Again, Orion fell asleep. 

Chapter 27 

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	27. Chapter 27

27 

It had been about twenty-six hours total that Orion slept, and the long rest helped more than anything to   
make him feel somewhat well the next day. When Groctis came in, he was already awake, and sitting weakly   
up. The vulture grinned at him and asked him how he was. Orion whispered that he was okay, he guessed. An   
improvement on the day before. 

The vultureman went to his counter and got an antiseptic gel and the painkilling salve out. "I have to   
look at your feet again all right? This will hurt a little bit, but I've got the salve here." 

Orion nodded reluctantly and didn't put up a fight when Groctis gently peeled the bandages off. "Thanks," he whispered. 

Seeing that the boy's feet were not nearly as swollen as they had been, he was glad. He applied the antiseptic and salve. 

He was taken back to the cells and checked up on the next day and the next. Although feeling closed in   
in the little cell, Orion was glad of the rest, and spent much of his time there sleeping. Each time the healer   
came, he put some salve on Orion's battered feet, and sometimes on his back where the most of the lashes wee.   
Orion thanked him gratefully for it. 

The day he was to be put back to work, Blackmoor walked in on them as Groctis was putting the painkilling salve on. 

Orion gasped, thinking that Groctis would be caught after having been told no painkillers. Orion was   
afraid he, not the healer, would be in trouble... 

"What is that?' Blackmoor asked. 

"Antiseptic gel," Groctis answered, smooth as silk. If anything, he was a good liar. "It should prevent   
infection with him walking around on the ground." 

Blackmoor only nodded dismissively, not bothering to see what ws written on the jar's label. "You   
ready to work today?" he asked Orion. 

"Y-y-yes, M-m-master..." Orion whispered immediately.. He wans't., but since when did Blackmoor   
care? 

"Good. And will you run away again?" He got an immediate negative. Blackmoor snorted. "Why do   
you make me have to go through all of this before you act as you're supposed to, you miserable kkrekk? Why do   
you give me such trouble?" His tone was disgusted, as if he were talking to the lowest beggar that ever lived. 

Orion swallowed and looked at the bed. "B-b-because I'm stupid." The words were barely audible. He   
said it half because it was probably what his master wanted to hear, and half because he believed it himself. 

Blackmoor made a noise of disgust and began to walk away. "Hurry up with that antiseptic. Then get   
Orion back in his restraints and into the dining hall." 

"Yes, sir," Groctis said, and winked at Orion as he finished with the painkiller. Orion felt the effects   
almost immediately, as the bandages were wrapped back around his feet. A soothing tingling, and a fading of   
the pain. He gave Groctis a shaky smile of pure gratitude. 

"Come on, kid, let's get you to the dining hall." 

Orion would be allowed to go nowhere for a while again without escort. He ahd to start all over again in   
Blackmoor's hell. 

The day itself was a few different kinds of hell for Orion. he'd been given another pair of breeches, and   
had been chained again. And he kept stumbling on them. And that hurt. After a few hours, the painkiller wore   
off, and his feet throbbed with lancing pain as he walked, enough to make him silently cry. The blood ahd begun to soak through, even he could see that. And many of those that ate at the establishment took it upon themselves to ridicule the wretched ,looking creature. Orion only took the abuse as he limped as fast as he could to get the tables cleaned. once one of them had tripped him, making him cry out as he hit the ground. But even then he said nothing, only slunk into the back to get a clean towel. 

But finally the day was over, and he was escorted from the building. As he and the Reptilian made their   
way across the compound, Phiron happened to be passing,. He wisely said nothing to Orion, who had not even   
seen him. But he narrowed his eyes. It ws physically apparent what Blackmoor ahd put him through. He looked   
down at the blood soaked bandages on the child's feet and closed his eyes. Shaking his head. he reluctantly moved on. 

Orion was fed, and given a threadbare blanket to sleep on in the tiny cell. The door was barred...and the   
light in the hallway prevented complete darkness. And that was good. Still, it was a while before he fell asleep. 

After a few days, he began to get back into the rhythm of the place. He was kept on somewhat easy duty   
for a while, in relatively clean places. No mines or greasy hangars or dusty cart-pulling; Blackmoor didn't want   
his feet to get infected. They'd have to be amputated and then he'd be virtually worthless. But that was okay,   
the jackal had plenty for the cub to do. He worked him harder than he had before, reasoning aloud to the boy that   
if he was too exhausted to move, he couldn't plot escape. Orion had said nothing. 

On the third day, Blackmoor had taken the terrified cub into the main disciplining room, he whimpering   
the whole time, asking what he had done wrong. 

"Nothing," the jackal said calmly, raising Orion's feet again. The boy burst into tears. "Only giving you   
a reminder." 

The heartless jackal applied the bastinado torture once more, the beating of the soles of the feet. He   
didn't beat them as severely, or for as long. But he did break open the healing wounds again before he was done and sent Orion to the healer to be bandaged. Yes, he was sure that Orion would not ever dare try that again. 

Time does heal all wounds...those that are physical anyway. The young slave did not ever think that he   
would get the horrible sight of his friend's death out of his mind though. Even now, three months later, it was   
still fresh in his mind. He had gone through the months with relatively little trouble. he ws too terrified to give   
any kind of disobedience, even a question, or speaking when not told to. he did not even look at anyone unless   
they told him to. And that had been Blackmoor's goal of course; he was pleased. 

Orion still slept in the tiny, cold cell; although it was getting warmer out it was still cold at night. he   
still wore chains. He had once asked a taskmaster that he halfway liked what had happened to Hyder; he had   
expected the worst. The taskmaster told him that he was all right. Not very happy, as he'd been harshly punished as well, but all right. But Orion would not be allowed to see him for a long long time. 

He wasn't sure whether to be happy or not. He was happy that Hyder wasn't dead or badly hurt...but he   
was unhappy that he would not be able to see him. But he dared not say anything. 

Eventually, all of Orion's physical wounds healed, and he had gained a little weight. He was never fed   
right, but in the pit he'd become gaunt, unhealthy. he'd been fed very little. Now at least, he resembled a   
skinny kid, not an emaciated prisoner. His ribs showed, but didn't jut out with such stark contrast. His stomach   
no longer cramped for want of food. 

The boy wans't exactly happy, but his life had gone on with its own miserable monotony. He was in the   
mines again, something he hated. He was barely in check of his fear as he worked. He breathed hard, shook as   
he used the hammer n the soft rock. He remembered all too well the cave in a few years ago. But Blackmoor   
had told him if he behaved exactly as he should for a couple of weeks, he could go on cart duty. Orion was only too happy to comply. 

It was not until the end of summer that he did finally see his friend again. Orion had gone through the   
long months silently, speaking only when he had to, and then usually with the stammer he'd had as a small cub. 

He never lost it, but it had gotten infrequent...now it was in every sentence he spoke. 

Orion had finally behaved long enough for Blackmoor to let him work again in the hangars and parts   
yards. Hyder had been there already for two months, working with Phiron. Even the hyena cub had been quieter   
than usual,. and was now just as terrified of Blackmoor as his younger friend. 

And now, nearly a year after they had tried to escape, Orion was in the hangar again. but he did not   
know that Hyder was there that day, and had silently sought out a mechanic that had been getting his own parts. 

The higher ranking slave was only too happy to have someone to fetch all the parts, and gave the boy a list. 

Orion could read a very little in Plundaarian, and vehicle and machinery parts were most of what he   
knew...things he had to know to survive. Although this was one of the only times that Hyder was not with   
him, and he was afraid of messing up. Still, he tried. 

The child yelped in alarm, jerking violently away, when a pair of arms were suddenly around him.   
"Orion!" cried a voice. 

He looked around wildly, his body tensed, having been badly startled. But when he saw who it was, he   
burst into tears of relief, and relaxed completely. It was Hyder, his manacled arms around the young cat like a   
vise grip. Orion did not mind. His own restraints prevented him from returning the embrace...but he didn't care at the moment. He was just happy to see the hyena unharmed. 

"J-jeez, Orion...I-I thought he'd done something to you. I thought...I thought he might've..." Hyder   
couldn't finish his statement as he tightly hugged the little cat. After so long, and after what had happened, he   
was reluctant to let go. 

"N-no..." Orion whispered. "I-I'm okay..." As okay as he could be in the miserable prison. 

Finally Hyder let go of him and put his hands on his shoulders to look him over. Some traces of his   
ordeal were still evident in the form of scars. "He did a number on you...dind't he? The other slaves said they   
thought he put you in the pit..." Hyder spoke in hushed tones now, almost as if he didn't want to say such a   
horrid thing aloud. 

Orion swallowed hard, looked at the ground, and nodded. "Yeah..." he said. "He did..." He bit his   
lip, trying not to cry again. "F-f-for a long time..." he did not even want to talk about what Blackmoor had done to him, the pain he'd endured... 

But there was no need. Hyder understood, and only held the younger boy close again for a moment. 

"Come on..." he said, clearly wanting to talk more but afraid of getting into trouble. "You'd...you'd better get   
there rest of the stuff the other guy wants." He sighed. "Me and another slave are helping Phiron...maybe tomorrow we can work together again." 

Orion nodded. "I-I hope so...I really...I r-really missed you..." 

Before Hyder could reply, an irate taskmaster came around a pile of junk and scowled at them. "Get   
back to work you lazy wretches before I tell Blackmoor you've been slacking!" 

Poor Orion nearly jumped out of his skin, and even Hyder jumped a little bit. Orion gave his meek,   
immediate reply and slunk off. Hyder sullenly gave his own answer and watched his friend acting so beaten.   
He felt a deep sorrow. but after a moment he too went back to work. 

The boys got to talk later that night, however... 

When Orion, finally unescorted again, trudged wearily to the little cells on the east side, he'd been   
stopped by Blackmoor. The terrified cub swallowed hard and asked timidly what he'd done wrong, and hoped   
that it was nothing too bad. 

Blackmoor smirked, but Orion did not see it. he was looking down at the ground as he was supposed to.   
"Nothing brat...get on your knees, stupid child. You should have done that in the first place." 

Orion whispered an apology and got on his knees as he was told to. No hesitation, only fearful   
compliance. he looked at the ground, hands clasped in his lap as he was supposed to. He was aware of pair of   
taskmasters walking by, snickering, and a few others slaves looking their direction, but he did not look up. 

"That's better." Blackmoor loomed over the young cub as he looked down on him. "Now. Reports of   
your behavior the past months have pleased me, Orion. You've behaved as a slave should behave. How old are   
you?" 

How old was he? Orion was shocked to find he didn't know exactly. He ahd to do a quick calculation   
in his stressed mind to remember what the date was, and how long he'd been there...the answer in itself nearly   
made him want to cry. "I-i th-think I-I'll be eleven e-end o-of f-fall..." the seasons were different here, but he   
was alarmed to realize he did not remember what Thundera's seasons were like. 

Blackmoor laughed. "You think?" he cuffed Orion lightly in the head, making him cringe. "Idiot child.   
It took you that long to learn how to act." 

Was this all Blackmoor wanted, to humiliate him? Insult him? Orion said nothing, only stared miserably at the ground. he wasn't sure what Blackmoor wanted form him. 

"Well. As I was saying, your behavior has pleased me, and Hyder has been behaving as well. I will put   
you in adjoining cells once more. I know you like being near the miserable little wretch. But one act of disobedience, and you won't be sleeping near each other for a year. You got that, brat?" 

Orion was pleasantly surprised at this revelation, and nodded his head, stammering his answer. 

"In a year, if you keep behaving as you have and showing me your obedience, you and he may be back   
in the dorms. But I expect complete obedience, slave, understood?" 

Again Orion answered immediately. To be back in the warm slave dorm, instead of shivering in the   
winter and suffocating in the summer in the stone cells... yes it was worth it. 

"Good. Get to your cell. it is the same one; Hyder has been moved." 

Orion answered up once more and skulked off, finding that Blackmoor had not lied. He stood by the   
bars of his friend's cell only a moment before catching the impatient glance of the cell guard and slipping into his   
own cell to be locked in for the night. Once the guard had gone to his post, (a chair outside the corridor's end   
door) he whispered, "H-Hyder?" 

"I'm here, Orion...I'm so glad they finally let us be near each other." 

"Me too..." Orion found that he was not quite sure what to say, but even his friend's silence was all   
right. he knew he was there. A year was so long to be away from him. 

As the young slave lay atop the thin blanket though, they did begin to talk. They carefully avoided the   
subject of their escape and the subject of Tamarin. They talked mostly of the work they had been doing, a   
few incidents here and there; there was not a lot to talk about. but that they were able to talk to each other   
ws good enough. Soon they were too tired to stay awake any longer, but both slept better than they had in a year. 

Chapter 28 

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	28. Chapter 28

28 

A few weeks later, he and Hyder were pulling cart duty. Strapped into the two-man cart, the young   
slaves pulled the heavy cart to and form the mines, hauling the silver and other precious stones to the factories,   
where they would be sorted and processed. "I hate cart duty," Hyder grumbled. "He..he didn't have to put us   
here, we didn't even do it on purpose." The young hyena was trying to sound defiant, tough, confident, like he   
used to. But when it came to talking contemptuously about Blackmoor,. he still faltered a little bit. 

"I-i know..." Orion said. "I-I was t-t-trying..." The pair had been carrying a heavy part in the   
junkyard...and they had dropped it. It had not been badly damaged, but was in need of repair. The   
taskmaster had reported it to Blackmoor at the end of the day and as a result the pair had been pulled form the   
hangars and made to pull the carts. Neither was really complaining...they were lucky they weren't beaten for it. 

"I did my best." the whispered words came form Orion, who was looking miserably at the ground. Why couldn't he do anything right? no wonder the other slaves always were treated better. 

"Hey...you know Buttmore..." Hyder looked form the corner of his eye to make sure no one was   
listening. But they were alone on their way back to the mines for another load. "He always looks for reasons." 

"Yeah...I-I g-guess." Orion knew that. But it did not change how he felt. There was a long silence   
as they reached the mine's entrance to be greeted by the young slave all dumping their loads into the cart. Once   
it was full to capacity, he and Hyder strained to get it going. Once it was going it was not so tough, but geting   
it started was no easy task. 

"H-H-Hyder?" Orion said. He was looking at the ground, and spoke as if he didn't want to say what he   
was going to say. 

"Yeah?" 

What...wh-what do you believe..." He paused, trying to think of exactly what he wanted to say.   
"Wh-what do you think happens when you die?" 

Hyder had not been expecting the question, and was somewhat taken aback. but finally, he spoke.   
"Well...I, I really don't know. Some people say you come back as a new baby. others say your spirit goes into   
the spirit plane." he thought a minute. "Other people think that your soul gets either punished or rewarded for   
the bad or good deeds you've done." He laughed a little bit. "Some people even think that your spirit sinks into   
the ground and nourishes the grass." He laughed again, a laugh that had only a little humor in it. "Plant food, I   
guess." 

"But...wh-what do you believe?" 

Hyder thought again, then sighed. "Well there's other beliefs...like it's just like sleeping forever...or   
your spirit had to roam around in the mortal world...I kind of think it's that one." He paused again. "Or...I   
think that they go to the spirit realm...kind of like our world but you can't die, or really feel pain. And you can   
see this world." The boy thought for a long time before adding, "Then...when you're ready I think you can be   
born again." 

There was a silence, in which Orion only looked at the ground as they pulled. Hyder was about to ask if   
he was listening, when he saw his young friend was crying. Before he could ask what was wrong, Orion   
spoke. "S-s-so...d-do you think Tamarin's watching us?" The words were spoken in a rush, as if Orion wanted   
to get them out before he lost his nerve. 

Taken completely by surprise, Hyder couldn't answer for a moment. THe horror of Tamarin's death   
flooded back into his mind. This is why we never talked about it, he thought. But now...he thought maybe they   
were ready to. Maybe they had to...to put it to rest. "I-I don't know Orion," he said quietly. "I think...I think   
he might be. He liked us, even if he didn't...y-you know, act like it sometimes. I bet he is." 

Orion wiped his eyes and nodded. The thought of Tamarin living in a realm with no death, no pain...free...put his mind somewhat at ease. "I hope so," he whispered. 

"Took you long enough!" THey had arrived at the supply house, and the avian was an excitable little   
taskmaster who always berated people for being late. But Orion did not answer, only looked at the ground,   
thinking of Tamarin. 

When they were again alone, Hyder asked, "Are you okay?" 

"Y-yeah...I-I think so. I-I-it's just...he...he hurt him...h-hurt him so bad...a-a-and I had to ...h-had to   
drag..." Orion started crying harder, wiping his eyes as he continued. he was stuttering so hard he was nearly   
unintelligible, and tried to calm down. "I-I-I h-had to c-clean it all...b-bring him t-t-to the incinerator..." 

Hyder looked at him, shocked. "He...he made you bring t-the parts..." Hyder gulped as Orion nodded   
his head miserably. "Gods..." The young hyena stopped the cart, and awkwardly put an arm around his young   
friend. Orion cried for a few moments, grateful for the comfort, until he was finally able to calm himself down. 

His head was hanging, his whole body felt tired....but he had needed to talk about Tamarin's death for a long   
time now. 

As they resumed their weary trek, Orion spoke again, in a whisper. "D-do you think h-he's mad at   
me?" 

Hyder frowned. "Tamarin?" Orion nodded. "Why?" 

Orion bit his lip. "For...for just...throwing h-h-his b-b-body away like that..." 

Hyder's smiled a little and shook his head. "No way. If he knew what happened...if he was   
watching...he wouldn't ever be mad at you for it. He knew that Blackmoor was making you." He paused a minute, then smiled a little bit. "I bet he was cursing Blackmoor up and down..." 

Orion laughed a little, and Hyder was glad to hear it. The little cat wiped his eyes. "Yeah...I-I bet he   
did it i-in t-two languages too." 

Hyder grinned. "With gestures." 

"Yeah...I-I bet if he could...h-he'd haunt him." 

"Hmmm..." Hyder's grin became more mischievous. "Yeah...make Blackmoor's toilets explode." 

Orion grinned a little too. "With him on one of them." 

Hyder made a face. "Yuck!" The two cubs laughed, and came up with a few other things that they   
thought Tamarin would do if he was able to 

"You-you think he really would haunt Blackmoor?" Orion asked. 

"Seriously? No...because Blackmoor'd take it out on us if he knew who it was. But...if we ever are   
sent away form here...he'd better watch out,. If there's any way possible, Tamarin would do it." Hyder scowled darkly for a moment. "And...I hope he makes his life a living hell." 

Orion nodded grimly. "Yeah...m-me too." Then he grinned a little. "Toilets..." 

Hyder laughed. "Yeah." 

The issue settled in their minds, both boys continued with their work mostly in companionable silence,   
although once in a while, oe or the other would come up with some kind of horrible things that a ghost could do   
to Blackmoor. but even that abated, and they were quiet. Orion looked up to the sky and wondered if Tamarin   
was watching them. He hoped that he was. And he hoped that he was happier where he was now. 

A random picture of him sometime after his escape attempt   
Orion 

Another random picture before some punishment or another. Also sometime after the escape attempt.   
Orion and Blackmoor 

Chapter 29 

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	29. Chapter 29

29 

"Hyder?" 

"Yeah Orion?" 

"Do...do you ever wish you were dead?" 

There was a long silence in the dim cell block, where Hyder and Orion still resided...even after all this   
time. Then, "Yeah...I do." There was another brief pause, and Hyder added, "Mostly when...when   
Blackmoor's punishing me for something. And sometimes when I wish I was free. I wish I knew what it was   
like." 

"I...I wish I remembered more." Orion was nearly thirteen...almost a teenager. Memories of home were   
dim, and he honestly could not think of many words to describe freedom to one who has never known it. "It's   
better than anything else," he said finally. "A-and...if you have parents...th-that l-love you..." Orion gulped.   
"I'd give anything to have it again." 

"I never had any," Hyder said quietly. "My mom probably did love me, but she was a slave too." 

"I'm sorry,' Orion said. "I bet my parents would love you...I wish I was back on Thundera. Wh-where   
it's not always dark and there's no slavery..." 

"I wish I was there," Hyder said. 

"If I ever get back....y-you can come with me." 

"Thanks." Hyder's voice was barely a whisper. The two young slaves curled up with their thin   
blankets to sleep, to get ready for another day's work. 

"I'm thirteen now," Onion said to Hyder. "I...I th-think it happened a couple weeks ago." Orion   
shrugged as the boys worked in the hangar, loading equipment into a storage room. "I d-don't even remember   
when my birthday really is." 

"They don't really mean a lot here," Hyder said. "Just to keep track of age I guess. I'm sixteen now." 

Orion looked his friend over. Yes, Hyder was a young man now...much taller than he had been when he   
first comforted the little cat in the mines. "I don't want to be a slave the rest of my life, Hyder." He lowered   
his voice, whispering in Hyder's ear. "When I get my chains off again...I'm going to run away." Hyder chains   
were already off. 

Hyder looked at him, shocked. "A-a-after last time?" he finally managed to stutter. 

"Shh! Yes..." Orion clenched his fists. "Maybe...m-maybe Tamarin didn't have to die...for no reason.   
A-and if I have to die..." Orion gulped. "I-I-I'll kill myself before I let Blackmoor do it." 

"Orion...Orion come on, don't talk like that. He'll find you...you'd never make it." Hyder was more   
frightened that he would have wanted to admit. After the last time...he'd been hurt badly by Blackmoor. Not as   
badly as Orion...but bad enough. 

Orion shook his head. "This is better?" He looked around, where others worked nearly silently.   
"H-having your will crushed? Being b-beaten into...just mindless workers?" 

"Submission," Hyder supplied, although he felt no better when he found the right word. Beaten into   
submission. Yes...he supposed that was what had happened. 

"Yeah. I hate it here, Hyder. Even if I can never go back to Thundera...I don't want to be slave anymore. I-if I'm a slave all my life...then my life means nothing. I-it'll just be a work machine." 

Hyder nodded. "Yeah...I-I see what you mean." The young hyena's eyes narrowed a little bit, and he   
said, "I will go too." He held up a hand to still any protests. "Remember? We stick with each other no matter   
what." 

Orion smiled gratefully at his friend and nodded. 

The last straw occurred in the spring. Orion had not endured much abuse in that time, no more than an   
occasional smack or minor beating with a rod or a strap. Since the failed escape, the terrorized young Thunderian had been very submissive. Any punishments were for mistakes, not disobedience. 

But it was hot once more, and Orion was working on a new building Blackmoor was erecting...or rather   
his slaves were erecting. The lower ranking slaves were digging out the foundation. Orion had asked for some   
water, but the taskmaster said he had to finish the section he was doing first. it was the first time he had worked on that kind of labor, and had already been at it for many hours. only one break had been given to them, and then he'd had some water. But not since. 

The young slave felt himself getting tired as the day's heat intensified. Usually he liked heat, but this   
was ridiculous! He was getting nauseous, but that was nothing new. With his diet at the mercy of his masters, he   
was used to stomachaches, hunger, nausea... But this time it would not go away. it only got worse. He staggered and stopped working for a minute.trying to get rid of the dizzy spell that had overtaken him. 

A strike from a taskmaster's whip cleared his head for a moment, and at his growled order to get back to   
work, Orion did. 

But after about three shovelfuls of dirt, Orion staggered again, and fell forward. He collapsed to the   
ground, unconscious. 

When he awoke, the sun was down, and he was still lying on the ground where they had been building   
the foundation. His face felt hot, and he had an idea he was pretty badly sunburned. The fur on his face was   
very light. Heat frustration; he'd passed out form the heat and the work. As he got older, he'd been worked   
harder, and today he was being worked longer that usual, with more difficult labor. No wonder he'd blacked   
out. 

But now ice water was being thrown in his face. For a moment, he panicked, and sat bolt upright. Then he retched, throwing up the little water he'd taken. Unfortunately, Blackmoor's boot was in the way...Orion ahd not known he was there yet. but he knew it now. 

Blackmoor growled and yanked Orion up by the hair. the boy cried out and scrambled to his feet to   
avoid getting his mane yanked out of his scalp. "M-m-master Blackmoor..." he managed to stammer, his head   
still not entirely clear. "I-I-i didn't mean to." 

But Blackmoor cut him off by backhanding him across the face. The unsteady Thunderian staggered   
and fell back to the ground on his hands and knees, his nose bleeding. "You dare speak to me, you disgusting   
filth! You weakling...I do not believe you passed out in the middle of the workyard. I can't believe you cannot   
endure more than a few hours of work." Blackmoor kicked the young man in the side, leaving a deep puncture   
wound from the spike at the end. 'You're pathetic! And then you retch on my shoes." 

"I-I didn't again...I'm sorry..." Orion stayed where he was, not daring to stand. he didn't think he could stand on his own at the moment anyway. 

"Shut up." Blackmoor's voice was disgusted. Orion glanced back to see he was taking out his whip,   
and the young slave cringed. It was a conditioned response, he could not help it, The mere sight or sound of   
the hateful weapon made him flinch. 

"W-wait..." But Orion had no time to say anything more, as the whip was cracked, and bit into his flesh. 

He cried out, resisting as he had many many times the urge to scuttle away. It only got him in more trouble. he   
could only lie there and take it. 

"I said shut up!" Blackmoor struck Orion again, and the young slave screamed. As Orion curled up on   
the ground, covering his head, he shook his own head in disgust. Quickly, he dealt out ten lashes for Orion's   
weakness, then stepped back. "Get up," he growled. 

Shaking, Orion staggered to his feet. his fists were clenched, his eyes on the ground, his head hanging. But he was not crying. His haunted eyes were dry. 

"Why the hell are you such a worthless piece of shit?" Blackmoor said. 

Miserably, Orion shrugged, then winced when it sent messages of fire down his back. "I-I don't know   
Master," he whispered. 

"Of course not. you're too stupid." Blackmoor spat in the young slave's face, and Orion did not move.   
He only shakily brought up a hand to wipe it form his face, looking dazedly at the ground. 

When the jackal ordered him to get to the healers to have the whip lashed disinfected, something Orion   
usually hated even more than the whipping itself, the boy only nodded numbly and whispered his answer. he   
stumbled off. 

He was not crying, and only whimpered a little bit when the lashes were cleansed,. It was one of the   
medics he did not care for much, but at the moment he didn't care. He only walked back towards the cells like   
one in a dream. 

He no longer wore the chains, and Hyder's had been taken off a few months ago, but both were still in   
the tiny cells. Orion curled up in his and didn't even look at the guard that locked him in for the night.   
"Orion! Orion, are you okay?" Hyder's worried voice came form the next cell. "What happened? 

When you didn't come back from the workyard, I thought something had happened...what'd you...what'd you   
get whipped for?" 

"I...I blacked o-out..." Orion's dazed voice replied. "I threw up...I-I couldn't help it..." Finally, Orion   
started to cry, sobbing into his circled arm. 

Hyder hadn't heard Orion cry like that in quite a long time, and was a little startled and worried to hear   
it. "Hey...it's all right, Orion. he didn't hurt you bad. And...he does that to anyone that passes out. And it's   
usually because he worked them too hard...it's nt your fault." 

But no matter what the hyena said, he could not comfort the younger slave. Orion had finally fallen into   
an exhausted sleep, when Hyder was finally able to close his own eyes. 

It was a couple of days later, when the both of them were working on the foundation. Orion had been   
very nervous about working it again, scared that he would pass out. A couple of times he felt like he was going   
to, but he made himself stay awake...even went so far as to slap himself in the face. The taskmasters had laughed at this, but it had saved Orion from another beating so he didn't care. 

He and Hyder worked side by side. neither of them had spoken much about the incident, mostly   
because Orion was silent, and Hyder himself was a little spooked by Orion's behavior. "I'm going to try it,"   
Orion whispered to his friend. 

"What?' Hyder asked. He hated this work himself, and his mind was elsewhere. 

"Escape." 

There was a long silence. Then: "Orion...Orion don't let what happened make you make a bad   
decision...are you sure now's the time?" 

The young slave nodded his head. "Y-yes..." he whispered. "I-it's...it's enough. I've had enough...I-I   
can't take it. I c-c-cant take this anymore..." 

After a moment, Hyder closed his eyes then nodded. "All right...I know what you mean. You have to   
draw the line somewhere." 

"Hey you wretches, less talking and more working!" When the taskmaster bellowed at them, the two   
friends were silent the rest of the day...but they had plenty to think about. 

Not a week later, Orion said that he was going to try. Again, as last time, he had been stealing items   
here and there and hiding them in the junkyard. The supply truck was not an option this time, as Blackmoor   
had been watching it carefully. But Orion thought he knew a way out. There was a section of the fence, behind   
the farthest hangar, that was out of the guards' sight. If he and Hyder could grab some wire cutters from the   
hangar while they worked...they could just slip out in the middle of the workday. And they would not be   
missed for a while. but he had to wait until they put on duty there...as they'd been digging the foundation for a   
while now. 

The opportunity came up soon. Orion and Hyder were told they could move back to the hangars, and   
both had jumped at the chance. They asked if they could work at the hangar where their gear was stowed...and   
where the section of fence was. As Phiron was working there, the request was not suspicious. 

Orion had asked as Blackmoor expected him to...indeed he was too terrorized to ask any other way...and   
had been granted the request. For most of the first morning, they worked...and for most of that day. But they   
had made the decision to try on the morrow...they would check in. But they would make their escape instead. 

Both of the young slaves were scared. They knew full well that if they were caught, they'd be put to   
death, as horribly as Blackmoor could think to do it. 

It was midmorning, when a pale-faced Hyder ducked around a pile of parts and whispered to Orion, "THe   
taskmaster ducked inside...come on. It's now or never." 

Orion swallowed hard and nodded, and the two cubs retrieved their two smaller sacks. Looking around   
once to make sure that no one was looking at them, they quickly scaled the fence surrounding the junkyard and   
skulked to the outside fence. Crouching behind the hangar's back wall, Orion produced the wire cutters in one   
shaking hand, and handed them to his older, stronger friend. Hyder nodded, and looking over his shoulder every   
now and again, began to cut the wires. 

Luckily, the fence was not wired to set off alarms when it was cut...although Blackmoor would later   
implement this feature. When a big enough crawl space had been made...Hyder and Orion sipped through. The   
skulked around the fence a little ways, until they were facing the nearby woods...and then they made a run for   
it. 

They were not as lucky at the beginning this time. The guard in the tower saw them and bellowed over   
his loudspeaker, "HEY! Get back you yo miserable wretches!' He got on his radio really fast as many of the   
workers and taskmasters in the yard looked up to see what was happening. 

"Oh gods!' Hyder exclaimed. "Orion run!" 

Too terrified to even utter a curse or an epithet, Orion dropped to all fours and ran as fast as he could   
into the trees. 

Blackmoor had snarled in fury when he learned that his THunderian slave and his friend had again   
escaped. he ordered a team of his off-duty taskmasters to come with him, ordered them from the compound and   
into the woods. He himself followed his men, wanting the pleasure of catching them himself when the others   
found them. Hyder he would kill. He would kill him slowly...and make Orion watch every part of it. he would   
rub his face in the mess! The furious jackal decided he would keep Orion alive...for as long as he lasted   
anyway. He would see to it that he lived the rest of his life in severe pain and fear...a frequent example to those   
in the yard... 

Orion was running as fast as he could, and had already nearly collided with one of the searchers...who   
had sounded the alarm. The frightened cub took off in another direction, darting through the trees, running blindly. more than once he'd fallen and skinned his knees or his palms, but he felt no pain in his panicked flight. 

Only when he had run a good deal did he realize that he had lost Hyder. Did they capture him? Were   
they going to kill him? "Hyder!" he called, his voice sounding very young, and very scared. "Hyder!! Hyder,   
where are you?!" But the only ones that heard him were the boy's pursuers...and so he ran. 

Orion did not know how long it had been, ducking, dodging, hiding, sneaking, sprinting...but he knew he   
could not keep it up much longer. He felt as if his legs were rubber, and would collapse at any time. he ahd to   
do something...and fast. Or he would be dead...maybe like Hyder already was. 

The boy looked frantically around. For now, he was out of sight of the Mutants...but that would not last   
long. They'd fanned out in the woods, and their "net" would catch him at any moment... 

Looking around, his eyes spied a small hole in the ground...the den of some animal. Sniffing it told him   
that the den was abandoned...but the sight of it made him breathe harder, as if he were suffocating. No...he couldn't make himself crawl in there...it was barely big enough for him to fit in! 

But then a shout carried by his pursuers raced his ears...and he bit his lip. Nearly crying in fear, he   
pushed his bag into the little den, and knelt next to it. Taking several moments to convince himself to do it, he   
finally began to crawl in the tiny opening. 

As he did, he panicked, and nearly drew out again to run...but they were too close. If he ran now, he'd   
be caught, and he would die a horrible death. Summoning all the courage he could find within himself, the   
young escapee crawled in. 

The den was bigger, if only slightly, inside. But still Orion could barely turn around, and had room to   
do no more than curl up. He was shaking, his instincts screaming at him to run, to get out, to fight until he broke the tiny stifling prison...but he squeezed his eyes tight and forced himself to stay still and quiet. his breathing was rapid, his voice only barely restrained from whimpering, but he stayed put. 

"Where is the worthless little shit?" Blackmoor growled. He was now at the front of the group, and had   
stalked into the very area where Orion cowered. As he heard the voices almost directly outside the tiny den, he   
forced himself to open his eyes and peer out. All he saw were feet, and he was not about to poke his head out   
further. 

One of the taskmasters, a Reptilian Orion knew as Cham, shook hs head. "I don't know, boss. I can't   
find the brat, maybe he skirted the forest and headed for the desert." 

Blackmoor shook his head. "No," he growled. "The sensors say he headed this way...and he's be an   
easy target in the open desert. he has got to be here! Keep looking!" With that, Blackmoor returned to   
scrutinizing his scanner, growling as he realized he had lost his slave...or so he thought. There was a life form   
showing up on the tiny screen, huddled in a den. But he paid it no mind. he knew Orion...and he knew how   
terrified he was of small spaces. He didn't even think for a minute that life form was his escapee. 

Orion huddled in the tiny den until he could no longer hear the search party. Then he frantically climbed out, shakily brushing the dirt off of himself. It had worked! Blackmoor hadn't even seen him. But should he start out again so soon? What if they found him later? what if their sensors...their sensors! 

Orion's eyes widened, and he crawled back into the den, now in tears. how he hated that den...even though it   
had saved his life. The boy curled up tightly, taking deep breaths, and squeezed his eyes shut. 

When he awoke, Orion panicked. He had obviously been exhausted enough to fall asleep in the little   
den, and now it was dark. And he had awakened to find himself trapped underground! no...not trapped. There   
was air! Air coming from the opening. As his mind also awakened, he realized where he was, and clawed at the   
dirt as he struggled to get out. He had destroyed part of the den in his thrashing, but he did not care. Orion pulled his pack out of the den and brushed it of as well. Blackmoor and his people were nowhere in sight. 

As Orion looked to the horizon through the trees, he could see that it would be dawn in a couple of   
hours. But he had done it! The only thing that kept him from feeling proud of himself was Hyder; he did not   
know what had happened to the older cub. Swallowing hard, Orion set off at a fast pace; he did not know where he was going, but he knew he had to get out of there fast. 

Blackmoor, on finding orion's escaped again   
Blackmoor 

Chapter 30 

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	30. Chapter 30

30 

Orion spent a few days in the woods outside Blackmoor's city...and he remembered how they had all   
been captured in the next But...he remembered the reward posters, and remembered how people there had been   
all too happy to turn them in for the money. He could not go there. The young man realized that Blackmoor had   
probably sent out the reward posters again this time...but still Orion did not want to go where he had already   
been caught. He needed to go somewhere different. 

The city. Maybe Orion wouldn't head out of town, maybe his best chance would be to stay in   
town where Blackmoor undoubtedly would never expect him to stay. The jackal underestimated Orion's   
strength and intelligence. Unfortunately, thanks to him, Orion also underestimated himself. But still, he decided not to run just   
yet. He would sneak back into the city. 

From a distance, Orion looked at the borders of the city. They did not seem to be patrolled, since Blackmoor thought he was headed the other way. Hopefully he would not have people looking for him here, would not have people with scanners and sensors... He thought about the paring knife he had managed to filch from the kitchen during his days of scrounging around the complex. he had taken it...not so much for a weapon, as it would be nothing against stunners. but...he would slit his own throat before he let them take him back to the compound. 

It took a great deal of courage for Orion to approach the city limits. But he did. And maybe he would   
be able to find Hyder here! If they had not caught him that was. As he got closer, he began to pass   
dwellings of people who lived outside the city limits. Thinking a long time, he debated whether to try and find   
an empty house and steal some clothing from it...and after a moment decided to go ahead and do it. he felt bad,   
but he needed it more than they would, and they would likely not hesitate to turn him over to Blackmoor if they'd seen him. And so he did not feel too bad. 

It took him a while, but the young escapee managed to find a small house that had no one inside, and he   
crept inside. those who lived on the very outskirts usually did not lock or bar their doors, and so Orion was able   
to simply walk right in. 

Although as he did, he discovered that the house was not completely unguarded. He nearly jumped a   
mile in the air at a fierce growl from the darkened house. He spun around to find himself face to face with a   
beshlan, a species of PLundaarian canine that many people kept as pets. they were large, with long, sharp   
teeth. Orion could also see why they made such good watchdogs. No, he thought in his mind. No, I cannot be   
caught because of some dog... "E-e-easy..." he stammered, getting down on one of his knees. He held out a   
shaking hand to the beast. "I-I'm not gonna hurt anyone...I just need clothes...that's all." he felt bad though. 

The dog was only protecting its home, and here he was trying to talk the beast down so he could burglarize the   
place. But still...it was a matter of life and death. That was more important...wasn't it? 

But the dog did not attack, as Orion thought she would. She sniffed the cat's shaking hand, seeming   
puzzled by the unfamiliar scent. But one thing she did recognize was the boy's fear. She sensed it   
strongly...and one thing her species was known for was its instincts. Beshlanen knew if a person was a threat or   
not simply by being close to them, and they were fiercely protective. Had Orion tired to hurt her master or mistress, or any of their children of the household, she'd have torn Orion apart. But as he was she sensed he meant no harm and only felt protective of him. She stepped forward and licked the boy's face. 

Orion blinked, then closed his eyes with a sigh of sheer relief. "Thank you," he whispered to the beast.   
He reached out tentatively to pet her, and she let him. Feeling even worse now about his trespassing, Orion   
cautiously made his way upstairs. Maybe he could find some clothing that they did not use a lot...maybe in an   
attic or a basement. The boy headed for the latter, looking for stairs that would lead to such a place. 

There was an attic, and there was what he was looking for: three trunks of old clothing that the family's children had outgrown. 

He rooted through the dusty trunks until he found some dark, unnoticable pants, and a shirt with long sleeves and a hood. A little strange for the warm weather, but then again he had seen Mutants that wore odd things. He hoped it was not be noticable. 

He turned to see the canine sitting and looking at him. The cat hastily replaced the clothing and closed   
the trunks and hoped they did not come up into the attic often. By the looks of the dust, they did not. He knelt   
on the floor and pet the beshlan to thank her, then hastily left the house. 

Orion donned his new clothing after whapping them against a tree to get the dust out. They fit a little   
loosely, but that was all right, that meant they would cover him more. Feeling more scared than he had in a   
long time Orion headed into the city. 

He was lucky. Very few people paid attention to the young traveller in the hooded clothing. Orion   
could see that reward posters had indeed been put up but he saw none of Blackmoor's taskmasters. Maybe he   
had been right! Maybe they were looking for him in other cities. He thought of how mad Blackmoor would be   
with both smug amusement and fear. If he got way with it, he hoped that Blackmoor got mad as a hornet, but   
he also knew that he was caught, that anger would be taken out on him. 

But now was not the time to think of things like that. If he did not pay attention to what he was doing,   
he _would_ be caught, He could not afford to let his mind wander. He wished the hood covered his face   
more...if anyone saw that he was Thunderian, that alone would get him in trouble. There were no free 

Thunderians on Plundaar were all slaves or prisoners. He tried not to be too conspicuous as he tugged on   
the hood to cover his face a little more. 

The young cat need not have worried, at least not that day. None of the Plundaarians on the street   
bothered him, although he did manage to catch a few snatches of conversation between two avians. They were   
speaking of the escape from Blackmoor's complex across the city, and talking about the reward. "I heard that   
the Black Jackal was in the next city looking for them," one said. 

"Yes, haaawk, he thinks they headed there. but he hasn't found them yet so far as I know." 

The other shook her head. "No. But he's offering a nice reward. I hope that I find the miserable   
little feline. I'd not mind having that money." 

Her friend nodded. "Me too," he said, then leered at her., "I might even share it with you for a price." 

The female snorted and whacked him upside the head. "Not for all the gold in Plundaar." 

Orion did not stick around to catch any more of the charming scene, but hurried on. But they had said   
them. Did that mean Blackmoor had not found Hyder either? He hoped so...with all his heart.   
As night began to fall, Orion wondered where he would sleep. Not in the open, he would never risk   
that. But where? 

The dilemma was solved just before darkness when he spied a familiar manor. It belonged ti Hintracrii! 

He had never forgotten the rat's kindness towards him and he hoped that maybe she could help him. Nervously he approached the gate, looking for guards. There were none. Feeling like a thief, the young Thunderian crept up to the front door, and with a shaking hand pulled the cord that rang the bell. Would she even remember him? Blackmoor had not let Orion go there again after his first attempt at freedom. Would she be angry at him for coming here? Would she turn him in? 

He had no more time to think, before the door was opened. A skinny Reptilian looked mildly down on   
him, his brow furrowed in curiosity. "Yes?" he said. 

Looking down, not wanting the servant to see what he was, Orion gulped. "I-i-is...i-is Lady Hintracrii   
h-here?" he managed to stutter. 

There was a pause, and then, "She is...may I ask who calls on her?" 

Here Orion hesitated for a long time. If he told this man his name...and he turned him in... But then   
again Hintracrii was the only adult that he had ever trusted here. The boy swallowed and told the man his name. 

The servant raised a brow, but nothing more. "Please wait here," he said, and gently closed the door. 

Orion shifted nervously, feeling very exposed. if the servant took too long...he was going to bolt. In fact   
the nervous cat was just about to do that when the door opened once more and the servant reappeared...with the   
lady in tow. He looked up, and saw a look of concern cross her face. "Orion?" she asked. 

Orion bit his lip and nodded, afraid of what her reaction might be. 

The rat's reaction was to kneel to the cub's level and draw him into an embrace. he stiffened, and as a   
reflex tried to draw back. "I've worried about you, little one," she said. 

Her tone was so sincere that Orion burst into tears of relief and put his own arms around her, dropping his   
pack to the ground. If there was such a thing as angels, he thought, she was one for sure. 

The Reptilian servant had shut the door, and was watching with a great deal of curiosity. "Isss this the   
THunderian you told ussss about, Lady?" he asked. 

Hintracrii stood and smiled at Orion. "Yes...he is. He has gotten so much taller..." 

Orion had grown a few of inches. but as he was a small cat, that did not matter much. But it had been   
four or five years. 

The servant frowned, and looked him over. "He's so thin...he looks half starved." 

Hintracrii frowned. "Reptin, that was very rude." 

The reptile turned red. "Sorry, Hintracrii...I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just...don't they feed   
the poor cub?" 

"No...I don't think they feed him well, Reptin. Are you hungry, Orion? Come, let me find you something to eat." 

Orion dind't really mind being talked about, and had been too conditioned to say anything out of turn.   
but when she asked him if he was hungry, he nodded. Hyder's pack had been the one with the food in it..his   
had held blankets and some supplies like spoons and a can opener and the like. he'd not eaten anything but a   
few fruits since he'd escaped. 

The kind rat Mutant led Orion into the kitchen and got him a generous helping of lunch meat, and made   
some sandwiches. She gave most of them to him, but did eat a little herself as she sat at the ornate dining room   
table. Orion looked around, feeling almost homesick at the familiarity of the place. Hintracrii did not look very   
different, either. She was frowning, not with displeasure, but in concern. "Orion...what's happened? How   
have you come here?" She added, "Not that I mind! I am very glad to see you although it looks as though you   
have had a very rough time of it lately." 

Orion bit his lip, and seemed about to reply when he looked up to see Reptin looking at them curiously. 

"Its all right, Orion. My servants are very close to me, and I trust them well. You are safe with them."   
She was becoming more and more certain of what had happened. 

The boy nodded. "A-all right..." he said, and looked down at his plate. "I-I...I escaped..." As if afraid   
that she would be angry or disappointed with him, he went on, his words rushed. "I-I tried before...he hurt me   
real bad...h-h-he killed my friend." he gulped. "I just..I couldn't do it anymore...he always hurts me, he looks for   
reasons...I-I don't...I d-don't want to be a slave my whole life, so I escaped..." He swallowed hard and tried to   
hold back his tears. He did not want to cry in front of her...he'd done it once already. 

The rat closed her eyes,. Yes, it was as she suspected. He had run away, and she would not let him be   
captured again; she had seen how he was treated, and she liked the little cat. She smiled at the boy and put her   
hand on his. "It's all right, little one," she said in a low tone. "If it is within my power, you will not go back to   
that place again." 

Orion looked at her, a rush of sheer gratitude running through his mind. "Thank you," he whispered. 

"No...I will not let you be taken there again." 

The boy stayed with Hintracrii for three weeks, always staying inside, always cowering when there was   
a knock at the door. He felt safer there than he had in a long time, but still he was always uneasy. The rat   
Mutant fed him well, treated him well. She had decided that if she ever had children she would want them to be   
like the young slave. She had gotten him some clothing once again, the ones from four years ago being too   
small now. She bought some warm clothing as well as light sturdy clothes for when it was warm out as it was   
now. The kind Mutant told Orion that he could stay there, maybe even make a new life there with her, and he   
had agreed. Even if he had to stay inside the manor for the rest of his life, it was better than being caught by   
Blackmoor. 

But that's not how things worked out. 

One day, as Orion was looking at the colorful pictures in a book he could not read, he heard a commotion. "You may certainly _not_ barge in here looking for your escapee!" she cried, indignantly. She had been purposefully loud enough for Orion to hear...and hide. 

Orion's head snapped up, and he stood. Putting the book on one of the chairs, he paced back and forth a   
few times, not sure where to go. The fear had been too powerful, he couldn't think. Finally he managed to   
clear his mind a little and run out of the library...he was headed for the basement. He didn't like it down there,   
it was only used for storage, and was a little musty and dark... 

It reminded him vaguely of the Pit. but he went down there now and crouched behind a large crate. He made sure there was plenty of room for him to crouch. 

He heard two people stomping around the place, apparently searching for him. Hintracrii   
followed them arond, giving them a severe piece of her mind, but they ignored her for the most part. While   
normally they would likely have roughed her up a bit, she was a well known, influential woman in the city,   
and they didn't dare. 

Orion was relieved when they did not even come down to the cellar, but he heard one of them growl to   
Hintracrii. "Just remember, lady. If you're as much as seen with the brat, Blackmoor has the right to demand   
a trial. Harboring escaped slaves is a serious crime." With that, they left. 

Orion did not come out for a very long time. If one thing came of his slavery, he learned to stay in   
uncomfortable places and positions for long periods, and this was a good reason to do so. 

In fact, his friend did not come down to get him for a long time; she was not stupid. She knew they were   
likely watching her. But finally she did go down to find him. "Are you down here, little one?" she asked quietly. Orion could hear the worry in her voice. 

The young Thunderian stood from where he had hidden, stretching his stiff joints. "I-I can't stay," he   
whispered. He knew that the penalty for the crime of harboring escapees could be death...long prison terms at   
the least. 

Hintracrii closed her eyes and nodded, and held her arms out to embrace him. 

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	31. Chapter 31

31 

The next day, There were reluctant good-byes to be made. It had been a close call, and Orion understood   
the danger that he was putting the kind rat in...and he was unwilling to do so any longer. nothing that Hintracrii   
said would make him change his mind, although he was so very tempted. 

But it could not be. 

Hintracrii got a sturdy, waterproof back sack, and put the clothing she had gotten for him in it, along with   
some food and tools better than those he had been able to snitch from the complex. She also gave him a good,   
sturdy dagger in case of trouble with man or beast. 

It was the middle of the night when they had decided Orion should go...less chance of being seen,   
especially since there had been periodic checks by Blackmoor's people and even the authorities by her place. 

Orion was crying, and not making any move to hide it. He hugged the woman tight for a long time. 

Also with tears in her eyes, Hintracrii returned the young cat's embrace. "Good luck, little one," she said   
to him. "I hope that I will see you again." 

Orion bit his lip and nodded. "I-I hope so too," he whispered. 

"Go on," she whispered finally, letting go of him. "Reptin has left the gate on the south side open a   
little bit for you to slip out." She grasped his arms and looked at him. "Please don't get yourself caught, little   
one." He had told her about his last escape attempt, and she had been horrified by it. "Keep yourself safe." 

Orion nodded, looking down at the floor. "I-I will," he whispered. 

The rat nodded, wiping her eyes. "Go on, little one. Go on." 

If he did not go now, Orion knew he wouldn't be able to make himself. He turned form her and ran out   
of the house, out towards the south gate. he ran as fast as he could, from the comforting familiarity of the rat's   
home and estate. Once he was out of the vast yard, he still ran, until he could run no more, then collapsed in   
the grass, a good distance away. He stayed there for a long time, feeling as if he had lost his family a second   
time. 

It was a good deal later when Orion found himself waking up. He cursed himself for falling asleep in   
the open. That was a good way to get himself caught and killed. ut as it was, there was no one around in the   
early morning, and he resumed his journey. Plundaar was a big place, he knew that, and he really did not know   
his way aorund. In fact, he realized with some alarm, if he was heading straight back towards Blackmoor's, he   
wouldn't even realize it until it was too late. "Well that's a great thought," he muttered to himself as he   
began to walk. 

A few hours later, he sat down to eat. he supposed that he would have to learn to hunt sometime... he   
didn't really like it, as he liked animals, but he could not risk going into town often enough to steal what he   
needed. As he pawed through the pack, he stopped short...and brought out something he had not known   
Hintracrii had slipped in there. It was his favorite book from the library, the one that he always enjoyed looking   
at the pictures in. There was, within the pages, a picture of her, with writing on the back he could only catch a   
word of here and there in Plundaarian. Sniffing, he held the picture to him for a moment, then put it carefully   
back and ate his lunch. 

Orion walked through the forest for a long time, stopping to rest here and there. When he stopped to   
sleep at nightfall, he was miles away from Hintracrii, and although he did not know it, even farther from Blackmoor. he had been going in the right direction. 

The young cat traveled like this for several days, and was enjoying the freedom. He was not awakened   
every day by a heartless taskmaster to be put to work in the brutal conditions. he didn't have to worry about   
being beaten when he screwed up, or even for no reason at all. he could do whatever he wanted, and there was   
no one to tell him else wise. 

The only thing that was there was fear. Often when he was asleep, or while hs traveled, a noise would   
make him turn and look behind him. The threat of being caught was was enough to put a damper on his enjoyment. Although even with that fear, he was pretty happy. Freedom is a powerful thing. 

He need not have worried, at least not for the first couple of weeks. his travels were quiet, and the   
supplies Hintracrii had given him were lasting. He had managed to steal some food from houses on the   
outskirts of town too, and so he did not go hungry. In fact, although he ate sparingly so that he did not run out,   
he ate better than he ever had at Blackmoor's. 

But one day, Orion ran into trouble. He heard the baying of a hound, a noise that could make a grown   
man's blood run cold. He turned and listened, and began to shake. He was not sure why, but his inborn instincts were screaming warnings. 

Orion scrambled up a tree to look around and was horrified to see the familiar taskmasters from the   
complex heading his way. They must have tracked him there somehow...maybe someone in one of the towns   
had seen him. he could not stay up there, they would have scanners. 

The young escapee scrambled down the tree and ran on all fours, the pack on his back thumping slightly   
against him,. He knew he could not run forever, but it was the only choice until he figured out what to do...   
He changed his direction a few times as he heard a shout here and there telling the others they saw him   
on the scanners, or they knew where he had gone. But still he was running blind so to speak. And he had heard him; Blackmoor was with them. 

When he thought that he could not run anymore, he stopped short, nearly tumbling head over heels. 

Water. A river. Right in his path. And behind him the spread-out fan of Blackmoor's taskmasters. Orion was   
trapped! he swallowed hard, and fumbled in his pack for his dagger. he knew he did not stand a chance in a   
fight, but he had vowed to himself he would not be taken alive. but his shaking fingers could not even open the   
bag. Could he really take his own life? he wondered. 

But then it occurred to him—he did not have to. He turned his head to gaze into the turbulent waters of   
the river. No. no, he couldn't do it, he'd never make it! he couldn't swim, and the most horrible way he could   
think of to die was to drown, better to die quickly by the knife. but still, did he want to die at Blackmoor's   
hand? he knew that's probably how he'd kill the young slave anyway. And swimming he at least had a chance. 

Orion gulped, fighting down waves of panic...and stepped into the river. Paddle, he thought, remember   
what Hintracrii told you. but the river was so fast! It flowed faster than he could run, he was sure of it. But still, he had no choice, did he? 

He took another step, forcing himself not to freeze up. The water was cold, even in the hot day, and   
deepening rapidly. He fought to stay standing as he waded in, but soon the water was too high, and he had to   
either let go now or be caught. 

He made his decision. 

At first the young cat panicked, and was nearly swept under in the current. his outcry of alarm as he   
took in water was drowned out by the rushing water. but he forced himself to clear his thoughts, an effort that   
took all of his concentration as he was whisked downstream. He paddled, rather than flailed his arms, and slowly managed to surface. but dog paddling was exhausting, and he couldn't keep it up for long. And the river was wide... 

Paddle...paddle, paddle, paddle, he told himself. Keep your head above water. kick your feet, it helps   
you stay afloat! he was trying desperately to remember everything that rat had told him when teaching him to   
dog-paddle in the lake. And he had done it, he remembered that. 

He screamed as a rush of water doused him, sweeping him under for a moment, and he ahd to fight to   
get above the surface again. he was crying in fear, but didn't even notice, as he kept up his exhausting routine. 

Slowly, Orion made progress. Although he was a good deal farther downstream from where he had   
started, he was painstakingly making his way across the river. he had made it halfway across, and could feel the   
thin burn of an approaching cramp beginning in his legs and arms. Oh no, he thought, please not now. If his muscles seized up now, he'd drown. 

Orion wasn't even concerned with Blackmoor's men now, they would not even be able to find him this   
far away. Now his enemy was the water. So much of it! He forced himself not to think of it. if he did, he'd   
lose it completely. 

it seemed like an eternity. The young Thunderian was paddling as hard as he could, and it seemed like   
the river would never end. The far bank seemed never to get closer, and he even screamed for help when he   
thought he wouldn't make it...but there was no one around. 

A branch! A branch, if he could make it there in time! Orion renewed his efforts and strained to reach   
the branch in the middle of the river...in the middle? No...no! It was in the shallower waters of the other side! 

Orion reached out with his exhausted arms to snag the branch, and managed to clamp his fingers around it. it   
was actually a tree, he saw, fallen from the bank. Laughing almost hysterically, he climbed through the fallen   
tree to the other side of the river. he staggered out of the shallow water onto the muddy bank and collapsed   
there.   
  
  


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	32. Chapter 32

32 

Orion had not exactly been sleeping, but his body refused to move. As much as his mind wanted him to   
get away from the terrifying water, his body said, "Uh uh, no way, forget it." And it refused to move. 

That was all right, he guessed. He was away form the water a few feet, and the fear that it would wash   
over him was just phobia, irrationality. After a very long time, he did raise his head, and manage to sit up. 

Orion contemplated the river he had just braved. Now that he was not facing crossing it, he could see   
that it was not flowing as fast as he had at first thought, although it was fast enough to be a danger to   
someone who did not know how to swim. but still, he had done it! He actually had swum across a whole river. 

Well, maybe not swum, but Orion wasn't going to worry about technicalities. he only felt pride that he had   
done it. he didn't think that whenever could do a thing like that, he was too clumsy. And yet...there he was, exhausted, but alive. 

He sat still a few moments to finish catching hi breath and his bearings. He shakily stood, the pack still   
on his back, and took a few tottering steps away form the water. he ahd to stop several times, but he did mange   
to get into the trees a little bit. 

"Well...that was not fun," he said to himself, but he had a big smile on his face. "I don't ever want to   
do that again." But even as he said this, and through his lingering fear and immediate exhaustion, there was   
almost a bounce in his step as he looked for a place he could safely camp out. 

Across the wide river, and several miles upstream, Blackmoor had let out a stream of severe curses and   
punched out one of his taskmasters. now he had a bruised hand and and angry snarl. Those with him backed   
wisely away. "Where could the little shit have gone?' Blackmoor growled, clenching his fists. 

"May-maybe he went across the river?" a skinny jackal timidly suggested. 

Blackmoor turned on him, grabbing the jackal's tunic. "You idiot! The brat doesn't know how to   
swim; he terrified of water. And you think he swam across the river?" 

"I-I-I..." the jackal sniveled. 

Disgusted, Blackmoor dropped the cowering jackal to the ground. Why he had taken him along was   
beyond him; he wasn't even a taskmaster; he took care of Blackmoor's finances. But still, he had been an   
extra hand. "Search the woods, again," he ordered. Jackraz and Simintin, grab a few of your underlings and   
start setting up camp." He clenched his fists and gazed into the trees. "I want Orion found." 

There were hasty expressions of agreement, as the Mutants fanned out, searching for their young quarry.   
Blackmoor went home empty handed, and in a foul temper. The slaves at the complex bore the brunt of   
this anger, as he took it out on them as he stomped through the workyards. And then he locked himself in he   
manor and thought long and hard. it was foolish to keep on this way about one small slave. he had set out the   
bounty, and if he was caught, fine...was one small worthless feline worth all of this? 

Yes, Blackmoor decided. It was. Maybe not for any other slave, but Orion was a special case. All   
because of a small incident when the two had first met, Blackmoor had unofficially declared the spirited child   
his personal enemy. his arch-enemy so to speak. Even he had to laugh at the amusement thought of the skinny squirt being anyone's arch enemy. but it was close enough to be accurate. 

Thinking of ways to further his chances of success, Blackmoor went to sleep. 

Meanwhile, Orion had traveled a great deal of distance form the river. The water there had been salt, and   
not fit to drink, and now he sought out a stream to refill his supply with...living in the woods was not quite as   
hard as he would have thought, but it still wasn't too easy, either, especially since he didn't know how to hunt.   
but he supposed he would learn. When one was desperate, one made ways. he knew this well. 

And besides, even if he did die, dying free would be worth it. 

But Orion did not die that day, in fact, it was one of the best days of his life since being taken in the raid   
so long ago on Thundera. he was free, he was fed, and he was very far away from water! His expression, not   
outwardly anything but passive and expressionless, masked his good humor. Having learned early on to hide   
what he was feeling lest he be struck for it, Orion didn't outwardly show many emotions except fear. but even   
without this indicator, it was apparent that he was feeling well. There was a lilt in his step, and he seemed to be   
enjoying the warm air. 

Finally he did stop for the night, within a grove of trees. hopefully he would not be easily seen there, and   
any dogs or sensors that might track him...well hs hoped that he would hear their bearers long before they found   
him. And so he felt reasonably safe as he bedded down for the night. 

When Orion awoke, he was startled to see someone right in his face! With a startled outcry, he sat bolt   
upright and scrambled away from whoever it was! He heard a squeak that sounded like one of surprise, and   
then his whole body relaxed, and he laughed. It was only a dehata, a small, fleet-footed animal of the forests,   
and a young one at that. The poor little guy was running for his life, so startled had he been by Orion's abrupt   
awakening. 

Well it was time to get up anyway. At Blackmoor's he would already have been up at least three   
hours, and he had to smile at the thought. No longer would he have to get up when someone else wanted him to.   
He would sleep and awaken any damned time he wanted to! As Orion ate some of the food that Hintracrii had   
given him, he suddenly thought about Hyder. The last he had heard, the young hyena had not been caught by   
Blackmoor, but he also had the idea that the jackal was more interested in Orion than Hyder. his mood sobered   
a little as he worried...he wished that he could find his older friend...then he truly could set his mind at ease.   
And he missed the young hyena very badly. 

But Orion had to dash these thoughts from his mind as he went along his way; they wouldn't get him   
anywhere. And maybe, maybe he would find him again. Then maybe they could both go back to Thundera.   
  
  


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	33. Chapter 33

33 

As the weeks went by, Orion traveled further and further from Blackmoor's complex. Once it was   
apparent that he was headed away, he breathed a sigh of relief because he doubted that Blackmoor was   
willing to extend his search this far. It had been a couple of months now, into the hottest part of the summer,   
and Orion did not mind that. He liked the heat, it was the cold that he hated. He'd worked through all kinds of   
weather, cold, warmth, rain...even the strange snow that some areas of Plundaar got every once in a while...and   
it was the cold and snow he hated the most. 

So he was happy in this part of the year, and it was too early yet to worry about fall. 

Orion had eaten well on his journey, using the last of the supplies Hintracrii had given him, and   
beginning to rely on fruits, and greens. He'd stolen from the villages here and there as well, always very   
careful not to be seen as he did. Nothing much, only some bread or milk here and there, sometimes meat or   
vegetables when he could find none in the forests and jungles. He was getting into hotter, more humid territory   
as he traveled, which was fine with him. It was easier to find things he could eat there. 

The young Thunderian had healed some in his travels as well...physically mostly, but mentally too.   
Being free from Blackmoor, and knowing he had done it mostly on himself did a great deal towards giving him   
back his spirit. It would be a very very long time before he regained it all back, but it was a start. 

He did worry a little bit, though. Sometimes the fruits he ate would give him a stomachache, or   
sometimes he was not able to steal enough from the Mutant towns and cities to sustain himself. Though he ate   
better out here than he had at Blackmoor's (sadly enough), he worried about what would happen if he could not   
find anything to eat... And that was when he decided that he would have to hunt. 

Orion loved animals, and the thought of killing one for food was a very distasteful one...but many cats   
cannot live on a diet without meat, and he had not been getting enough. And so...he would hunt. 

The day that he picked to try this was one where he was not far from a town...so that he could try to steal   
some supper if he failed. How would he do this? His dagger? It would have to be, since he did not know how   
to use any other weapon. He supposed a bow and arrow would have worked if he could learn to use one, but he   
didn't think he was coordinated enough for that. It would have to be the dagger. 

Orion knew what kinds of animals were edible...although the word edible made him want to stick his   
tongue out in disgust. He was going to kill and eat an animal. 

Shaking his head to clear it of the thought (although it did not work too well) Orion tried to think of   
what he should try and trap. Most of the beasts that were used for food on Plundaar were vicious, and one   
person could not safely take one down...but there were a few of the smaller species. The greei was a   
dog-sized animal with a blunt, Lunattack-like horn on its throat. They were often used for their pelts and their   
meat; Orion had tasted it once. There were of course, the dehatan and the kilten, tough little rodents that could   
be used for meat. But Orion decided that the dehatan would be a better bet. They were numerous, and not   
threatening, their teeth hardly even hurt when they bit. Yes, he would try and kill one of them He hoped he   
could make it quick, so he didn't cause the animal any more pain that he had to. 

Shaking a little bit, Orion walked around the forest, trying to be quiet, and spot one. he wasn't sure how   
to go about hunting, and he supposed that he should try and find one, and wait for it...crouch down in the tall grass and wait. 

But it was several hours before he even saw one, and got ready. The little animal turned, sensing and   
hearing that it was being stalked. The dehata sniffed the air, and its eyes widened as it smelled cat! Cats were   
predators, and the little animal bolted. 

Orion cursed aloud, slamming his fist into the soft grass. "Damn it!" he would have to try again. What   
was he doing wrong? The animal seemed to have almost known that he was there before he was there! 

Orion tried several more times that day, but by the end, he had caught nothing, and was too exhausted   
even to try and steal what he needed. Hot, tired, and angry, he found some fruit and curled up in the grass to   
sleep. 

The young Thunderian tried several times over the next few days to catch his quarry, but it was not until   
almost a week later that he finally succeeded. Hunting was not his thing, it would seem, but he had finally   
managed to catch something. It wasn't a dehata though, as they were far too fast, but one of the slower-moving   
kilten. It had managed to slash Orion's arm up good before he pounced on it and sank his dagger into its throat. 

The creature died almost immediately. 

Shaking, Orion lifted his hands from his kill, biting his lip at the sight of the blood; both his and the   
creature's. he almost felt like he deserved what he got for killing the beast, but he also felt a small degree of   
pride. Hhe had finally done it! And as he looked at the slashes on his arm, he scowled...maybe he did not feel   
quite so bad killing the creature. 

But now what? 

Orion realized he was going to have to skin it. A kilt's kin was tough and leathery, and not edible; it   
had to be skinned and cooked. could he do that? wWas he tough enough? 

He had to be. If he was going to survive in the harsh forests and jungles of Plundaar, he would have to be tough enough. And with this mind set, Orion went to the animal and picked it up. 

It was a long time before Orion could bring himself to start cutting, and an even longer time before he   
managed to get even part of the skin off. But as he went, he decided that it was not as hard as he would have   
thought. He wasted a lot of meat in the skinning, but he hoped that he would get better. Cutting the remaining   
meat off was easy compared to the rest of it, and the young cat built a fire in an area safe for it, and used a stick   
to cook the thing. 

While it cooked over the fire, Orion had gone to the shallow stream he'd been using to bathe in and drink   
from, and washed the blood off of himself. When he had gotten as much as possible form his fur and his clothing, and he didn't look like a murderer, the meat was nearly done cooking. Orion felt well pleased with himself as he took it off of his improvised spit. he had caught his own meal for the first time, and although it tasted a little bland and very tough, he thought it one of the best meals he had ever had. 

Over the weeks, Orion began to perfect his hunting. He discovered ltilte things like keeping upwind of   
his prey, and had laughed at the thought of them being able to smell him. Was his odor that bad? but of course   
he knew animals could smell ten times better even than a thunderian. He had learned how to walk silently, how   
to stay silent when stalking his prey. He found the ways to tell if there was anything around that could be   
caught and eaten, learned to look for subtle signs. After a while, he caught his first dehata, and although he felt   
vaguely bad for killing the timid little creature, he consoled himself with the fact that he had finally been fast enough to do it. And they did taste very good compared to the kilten. 

The young cat had decided at one point that he might do a little better hunting with a spear...where he   
did not have to get so close to the animals. And he had been right. With a little whittling, and lot of practice,   
Orion found it much easier to catch his prey. 

Finally, he decided that he had better move on. Although he felt relatively safe, there was always the   
nagging fear that he would one day wake and see Blackmoor's furious snarl looking down at him, and so he   
moved on. 

A town was next, big enough so that Orion really did not want to skirt around it to get where he   
wanted to go. there was more jungle territory on the edge of the city, and he wanted to make it over there. And   
so he would go on through it. who would recognize him, after all? All he would have to do is cover his obviously feline markings. 

Orion took a pair of light, but long pants form his pack, ones that he had snitched form one of the   
villages. he put on a shirt that Hintracrii had given him, and pulled its light, sun-shading hood over his head.   
Hopefully no one would take too much of a look. 

At first, no one did. he got a few amiable "hellos", but that was all, and his voice was completely   
Plundaarian, bearing nothing that indicated he was an outsider. From another part of the planet, yes, but no   
outsider. And those in the rural regions of Plundaar were more accepting. 

Food was easy to find here, there were many outdoor markets, and he was quick and quiet enough to   
take what he needed from them. Sometimes he felt bad about stealing, felt guilty, knowing it wa wrong. but   
then he thought of all the pain and hell the Plundaarians had put him through...and he didn't feel so bad. 

Besides, he never stole anything but food and clothing. 

It was not until the third day wandering through the large city that it happened. nothing of great note to   
most there, but to Orion, it was the worst thing that he could possibly have heard... Skulking in the shadow of a   
residence, he heard some of the kids talking in the play yard nearby. "Why do you think that he came way out   
here?" one of them asked. 

A little jackal shrugged. "I dunno. Don't care...come on, let's play!" 

The reptilian of the group shoved him. "Quiet, jackal," he said with a scowl. "We'll play when we're   
ready...do you really think that he's serious about that kind of bounty?" 

The simian that had first spoke nodded. "Yeah, he said a jackal form the north had sent him there, said   
he was dead serious about it. I'd sure like to have that money! I could do anything I wanted with it." 

"What was his name again?" 

"I forgot..." 

"Here!" said the little jackal, running from the yard for a moment. Eager to help out in the conversation,   
he jumped up onto the fence and reached for a black and white paper on a lamppost. Orion's face paled...he had   
seen that paper before. "Um, I can't read it." 

"Idiot," the Reptilian muttered, and grabbed the paper form him. "Orion, Thunderian mutt, escaped   
from slavery several weeks ago..." He nodded, looking at the bounty Blackmoor had put out on him. "No way   
would he be this far." 

"Well you never know," another simian said. "We should keep a look out for him. maybe we can get   
the bounty! he's not that old...not even as old as you are, Rept." 

Rept nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah...that would be great, too. Let's ask our parents if they've seen anything weird lately. 

"Okay!" their imminent game of torskkk forgotten, the little Mutants ran off. 

"Oh, gods..." Orion whispered. So, Blackmoor had sent his people out this far to tell them of their   
bounty. In a way he was almost flattered. Blackmoor must want him dead very badly. he had heard little of   
Hyder in that time, and he was not on the poster...it was only him now. Hyder was nearly forgotten in the jackal's   
eyes. 

Orion looked down at the paper the children had dropped, and picked it up with shaking hands. 

"Hey! called a young voice from across the play yard. "We need an extra tail over here...you want to   
play?" 

Spooked, Orion ran. 

Needless to say, Orion was very eager to get out of town after that, and though he ran across no one that   
gave him trouble, he was tense the entire time, he scarcely stopped to eat or rest, and by the time he had hit the   
city's borders, he was very tired. not even wanting to hunt anything down, Orion crept into the beginnings of   
the trees and found someplace to lie down and rest.   
  
  


Chapter 34 

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	34. Chapter 34

34 

Orion did stay somewhat close to the city for a little while, as much as is spooked him to do so. he'd   
not found a stream in a long time, and his hunting skills were greatly reduced by the scare he'd received. 

While he got a hold of himself, heed have to stay close to a food supply. 

On the fourth day of his exodus from the city, Orion woke up to see that someone had been there. he   
could smell them, and see some footprints. He woke up, alarmed, and looked around...but found no one. What   
if they reported him? What if they were on their way now with nets and chains? 

Shuddering at the thought, Orion gathered his supplies together and dashed into the trees.   
Not stopping until he thought he was a far distance form the city, he finally did sit down and rest. He   
would have to be more vigilant than he had been, or he was going to get himself killed! 

His shock and surprise were great, when a curious female voice said behind him,. "I know who you are." 

He whirled around to see that he was looking at a young Mutant of the jackal race looking at him   
mildly. She was about his age, he realized, and he was staring at her in shock, his jaw dropped nearly to his knees. Orion recoiled when she reached out a hand to close his mouth. 

The jackal looked a little surprised. "you're kind of jumpy, aren't you? of course I guess if someone   
had a bounty on me, I'd be touchy too." She smiled at him, leaning casually against a tree. 

"How...how did you find me?" he asked. His retreat had been fast, and heed not heard her following   
him. 

The jackal laughed. "I've been going on hunting trips with my father for years," she said. "I know all   
the tricks. I've also been watching you hunt. You're not very good at it, you know. 

His initial surprise over, Orion scowled. "Hey, I-I've just started doing it," he said defensively. "I never   
had to do it before." 

"You taught yourself then?" 

Orion looked at her a moment longer, warily. "Yeah I guess...look wh-who are you? You got friends   
waiting around to jump on me...for that bounty?" 

The jackal looked only mildly offended. "No. I have friends who would, but I didn't tell them. I'm not   
really interested in it." 

Orion narrowed hs eyes., "You're a Mutant," he said, without really thinking about it. "O-of course   
you are." but then as soon as he said it, he felt bad. Hintracrii would not have let anyone turn him in, and neither   
would the parents of the little jackal girl he had met that one day in the park. 

Now the girl became angry. She growled, clenching her fists. "Now listen here, cat," she spat at him.   
"I thought that all the stories about you thinking yourselves better than anyone else weren't true. I guess they   
are. I could have your miserable hide dead in about thirty minutes, you know!" 

The girl's sudden outburst had made Orion flinch, despite himself. it was only a reaction. 

Already having felt bad for his comment, he stammered, "I-I'm sorry, I d-didn't mean... I mean usually..." But   
looking at her angry face, he bit his lip. Would she turn him in? he shouldn't have made her mad.   
"L-look...don't turn me, in...please? Y-you know I will be killed if you do." he guessed now he would see if   
she cared whether an escaped Thunderian slave lived or not. 

The jackal looked angry only a moment longer, and when she turned around to see Orion's fearful   
expression, she sighed. "No...it's all right. I'm not going to turn you in." She considered, seeing the obvious   
relief on Orion's face. "I guess you were a slave, they probably didn't treat you so good, did they?" she said. 

Relieved that she would not sic the Mutants of the town on him, Orion shook his head. "No..." he said   
quietly. "Th-they didn't." 

There was an awkward silence for a few moments, during which Orion looked at the girl from the corner of his eye. He still didn't trust her but she had done anything yet that would signal she intended to harm him. 

"Well look..." the girl finally said. "My name's Kwiri, it actually means hyena, but my parents liked the   
name, so they named me it. You...I have been watching you, and maybe I can help you with your hunting?   
There's prey around here, you just have to know how to find them, since the terrain's easier for them to hide   
in." 

Orion frowned a little bit before finally saying quietly, "Why...would you help me?" 

The girl considered a moment, then finally shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I don't agree with all the   
other adults in this place. I think cats are kind of neat, I don't see what the problem is." She scowled. "And I   
don't believe in slavery." 

That right there was enough of a reason, Orion thought, and he smiled a little. "Yeah...I-I could probably use the help..." Then maybe he could move on. 

The jackal grinned. "Well why don't you camp out where you have been, and tomorrow I'll sneak away   
from my father and come see you. It shouldn't be too hard, he doens't always pay that much attention to me." 

Orion nodded to her, and returned her wave as she left. "I'd pay attention to you," he said quietly once   
she was out of earshot, and felt his face turn red at the thought. What the hell was he thinking, anyway? She   
was just going to help him hunt. Shaking his head, he dug into his pack for the jerky heed swiped the day before. 

The next day, Orion woke up late in the morning, and saw no signs of the jackal. Maybe she'd forgotten   
about him? She couldn't have told her father or anyone else about him, or he would have been captured by now. He shrugged and looked in his pack to see what was there to eat...it was not much. 

"Well it's about time!" 

Orion whirled around for the second time in two days to see her cocky grin. "Quit that!" he said,   
closing his eyes. "You scared the kkrekk out of me." 

Kwiri snorted. "Well you're probably gonna get caught if you don't learn how to tell if someone's following you or not." 

The cat looked at her for a moment, and scowled. "Yeah? Well i thought y-you were the hotshot hunter. Why don't you teach me?" 

She grinned amiably. "That's what I'm here for." then she looked at him, considering. "Why do you   
stutter?" she finally asked. 

Taken off guard, Orion didn't say anything for a few seconds. he really did not know how to take the   
outgoing, spirited jackal that he was speaking with. his first feeling was that he could trust her, and he thought   
that he probably would like her if they spent any time together. but she did seem to be pretty condescending at   
times, and cocky. "W-well, I-I..." he stammered then growled lightly at himself. "I...don't know," he said, which was not entirely true,. he stammered, because he never knew when heed be smacked for speaking or not...and that kind of thing was hard to kick. 

Kwiri shrugged. "Well it doesn't matter, I was just curious. Come on...let me show you something." 

Feeling somewhat irritated, Orion said nothing, but followed the girl to the edge of the grove of trees. 

"See that little hole over there?" she said, and pointed to a tiny dark spot in the sand. It took Orion a few   
moments to see it, and if it had not been pointed out, he never would have. the cat nodded. "Well that's a   
dehata burrow, where they keep their young...and there's always young with those things. They always cover   
their burrows with sand like that, because that kind of sand deters predators by masking the scent. You have   
to have intelligence to find them... 

Orion shook his head. "No. I won't kill a baby animal." 

Kwiri blinked, a little surprised by the decisive way Orion had said that. he hadn't stuttered or anything.   
"Well...okay," she said. "If you're sure. they're a lot easier to catch than the adults though." 

"I said no!" Orion said, sounding suddenly angry. He closed his eyes and willed himself to calm down.   
Even he hadn't meant to bite her head off for it...they were only animals to her. but Orion thought that killing a   
baby animal was cruel, and wrong. And he had already vowed he would never do it. 

"All right, all right...no babies. Fine." but the jackal didn't sound as mad as Orion thought she'd be. "I   
guess there's nothing wrong with that...let me show you how to find the adults then." 

Orion nodded, not trusting himself to speak. did she maybe understand how he felt, even a little bit? 

Throughout the day, Kwiri showed Orion many ways to locate his prey. Some ways he had already   
found for himself, but she showed him a good deal more than he had known. She'd also tried to get him to feel   
what it felt like to be watched. "We all got the instinct," she said. "But you have to recognize it...it's kind of   
like a shadow on your mind." 

Orion had not known what she meant then, and he could tell she was getting aggravated. "Sorry...I   
guess I don't have the instinct. not smart enough I guess." 

"Oh will you stop that? It's got nothing to do with being smart...and besides you're smarter than most   
Mutants I know. It's just...well, I don't know how to explain it anymore. Maybe you'll know what I mean someday." 

"Yeah..." Orion said, pleased that she thought him smart. "I hope so." 

"Well...my father is probably expecting me for dinner," Kwiri finally said. "You want to meet here   
tomorrow?" 

Orion smiled a title. "Yeah..." 

"Okay...well I guess I'll see you then." And with hardly a whisper of grass beneath her feet, she was   
gone. 

"I wish there were more people like her around," Orion said to himself as he sat down to cook the dehata   
Kwiri had helped him catch. he suspected that it was the mother of the young in the burrow, but Kwiri had   
assured him that dahatan never left their young under only one parent. usually at least three were in charge of   
taking care of them. She had also told him that the pregnant females never left the burrows...this was after   
Orion had suddenly had the thought that he had maybe killed an expectant mother in his hunting and become   
upset at the thought. It had set his mind at ease. 

After eating. Orion again fell asleep. 

Over the next couple three days, Kwiri came every day, late in the morning, to teach Orion more about   
what she knew best. And slowly, she began to get him to understand what she was trying to teach. She'd never   
taught before, but she liked it, even though she got impatient frequently. but still, Orion had learned a lot, and   
he was sure that it would help him. 

During their time together, they talked quietly, usually when waiting for a prey animal to show, or while   
cleaning a kill. She had taught him how to easily skin and cook the animals too, which was something Orion   
was glad to learn. it was a lot easier than the way heed been using! "So..." she said. "What's it like being a   
slave anyway? I mean...do you just work, or...?" 

Orion had blinked at her, surprised that she'd asked the question...and he felt angry. "I-I don't want to   
talk about it," he said to her, and had moved away from her in the woods. 

"Hey don't get so defensive...I just asked. 

"Just asked? just asked! Y-you make it sound like it's nothing to be a slave! D-d-do you know what   
kind of things happen there? do you know what pain a-and-and...degradation you go through?" 

"No! That's why I asked!" Kwiri stood up, her hands on her hips. 

"W-well...you don't' want to know!" Tears in his eyes, humiliated with how he'd lost his cool like a   
frightened child, Orion stalked angrily away. 

Finding a quiet place in the trees, he sat down and tried to calm himself. heed not often thought about   
Blackmoor's place, trying to push it away in his mind, but now he did, and it made him shake. He wondered   
how long the memories and nightmare would haunt him like this. 

After a few minutes, Orion frowned, as his feline instinct kicked in. he felt almost exactly like Kwiri   
had described it, like a shadow had fallen over his mind. "I-I know you're there," he growled. 

Kwiri stepped quietly form the trees, looking apprehensive. "I...guess you're getting better at that," she   
said. Orion said nothing, only looked away from her. "Look...I'm sorry, okay? I know I'm pushy and nosy,   
everyone says I am." She didn't speak as if she were ashamed, only admitting a well known fact. "You don't   
have to talk about anything you don't want to." 

Orion turned to look at her, and then nodded. "Okay." 

"So...am I forgiven?" 

Orion laughed a title bit, and closed his eyes. "Y-yeah....you are." No one had even asked his   
forgiveness before...it felt strange to him. 

"Well...good. Let's eat lunch then." 

They did eat lunch, and soon their argument had been forgotten. 

Time passed, and Orion thought that he might be making a friend in her. She was spirited, bold,   
unafraid, things he wished that he could be. And as they began t trust each other more, Orion did begin to talk   
of his life a title bit, here and there. This time, Kwiri did not push him, only listened, sometimes with   
amazement, sometimes with disgust. one day, Orion took off his shirt, and told her to look at his back. The fur on his back, once the only place where it was thick , was now rather ragged with scarring. There were pat ches where fur woudln;t grow again, and the abuse he;d gone through was evident. For once she'd been somewhat   
speechless. "I...I never thought they'd..." she said. "I mean i thought they only did that in stories. I've known   
people with slaves, they didn't treat them that bad." 

Orion was looking down at the ground as he put his shirt back on. As he did, now that she was looking,   
she scars on his arms too. "Well...a lot do. Mostly in the slave complexes. That...that's why Ii don't like being   
touched...or hit." She'd hit him once in play, and heed nearly slashed her across the face in reflex. heed stopped   
himself, and felt very embarrassed, but she had not done it again, and thankfully had not said anything further   
about it. 

"Well...I can understand it now...a little bit. Just a little bit." After a moment, she added, "I'm sorry...I   
guess my kind isn't too nice after all." 

"A lot isn't..." Orion said, then he looked up and wiped his eyes. "But some are." Leaving it at that,   
Orion stood. "I guess I'm ready to go on now. 

It was the next day after that discussion when Orion woke up, feeling something was wrong. He looked   
up and heard Kwiri approaching, not bothering to be quiet like she usually did. It was a test to see if he could   
sense her before she got within attacking range, and he'd been getting better. if he didn't open his eyes soon   
enough, she pounced on him and tickled him! he was not very sensitive to touch, thanks to his harsh life, but   
she had managed to find a spot that was ticklish as all hell. He nearly batted her head form her shoulders the   
first time she did it, but she'd been too fast for him and he had begun to tolerate it. It did ensure he was more   
alert, even in sleep, and besides, it was kind of fun. Once he got past the physical touch. 

But now she did not pounce on him. "Look," she said, before the young Thunderian could say anything.   
"I...can't teach you today." The young jackal looked disgusted as she sat down. "My father's been wondering   
what I'm up to, gone every day like that...just when you don't want them to pay you attention..." Kwiri shook   
her head. "But anyway, he's suspecting something's up, especially since I won't tell him anything. i don't   
know what he think I am doing, but he probably thinks I'm seeing some male..." She laughed. "Which is true I   
guess..." 

Orion felt vaguely embarrassed at the slight innuendo. 

"But tomorrow...he is going out with some of his friends to look around here. he followed me a couple of   
times-" she held up a hand to still Orion's fearful reply "-he never saw you, Im sure of it. but I think he thinks I   
am meeting a male out here and he wants to find you. You should be gone by tomorrow evening after his work   
is finished. He tracks better than me." 

Orion bit his lip as he looked at the ground. he was grateful for Kwiri's warning...but he didn't want to   
go. but he didn't say anything like that...all he said was, "O-okay." he couldn't feel like this every time he had   
to move on. He'd get caught like that...that's why you're not supposed to get close to people, he reminded himself. 

Kwiri looked at him for only a moment before standing. "Well...I gotta go. He'll be wondering." The   
jackal bent down and kissed Orion briefly on the cheek before running back towards the town. 

Orion stared after her, putting a hand to his cheek. He felt his face flush, and he felt strangely sad. 

Biting his lip, he got up to his knees and began packing his things.   
  
  
  


Chapter 35 

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	35. Chapter 35

35 

Orion wasn't found by Kwiri's father or his friends, even though it was close. Orion had gotten good   
enough at being quiet to avoid them, having the head start he had gotten. But he felt sad at leaving. Was it   
because he liked her? Or because she was one of the few that showed him kindness? He suspected it was a bit   
of both. And she represented all he'd always longed for, freedom, spirit, courage. He didn't know if he had   
had it at one point in his life, but he knew that he hadn't for a long time. 

Again, he reminded himself as to why he stayed away from people. 

Elsewhere, a certain black jackal was in a foul mood, as he had been so many times since Hyder and   
Orion escaped. He had virtually forgotten about the little hyena, more intent on catching the feline. But still,   
he did not put every resource he had into it, that would be foolish...even as a matter of principle. But, he'd sent   
out the bounties and called back his people. If he was in any of the cities the whole damned hemisphere, there   
would be someone who saw him, and didn't mind capturing a slave for some credits. 

"Sir? no news on the brat yet." 

Blackmoor turned to scowl at the taskmaster. "None." 

"No sir. There were a few reports, but all were false leads..." 

The jackal nodded grimly. "All right. Keep me informed." But Blackmoor had little hope of finding the   
kid; he suspected that he might have even left the planet. "Wait." the taskmaster paused. "Tell the others to   
keep an eye on the spaceports, tell them there to be on the lookout for a young Thunderian kid trying to gain   
passage or hop a transport." 

"Will do, sir." 

"Good. Then go." 

This conversation might have worried Orion had he planned on hoping a transport but he was not brave   
enough yet to try that. And where would he go? He didn't know how to get to Thundera, and he highly   
doubted any of the Plundaarian transports went there. he didn't know how to pilot a ship; there was no way for   
him. At least not yet. He wanted more than anything to go back to Thundera...see if his parents somehow made   
it back. But he had to worry about surviving here first. 

The months went by, and winter came. Orion wasn't happy, but he survived it. His hunting and   
survival skills had increased with constant practice, and he became tougher physically than he had been. His   
cruel childhood had left him tough, but the wild living had done so further...and it had left his spirit stronger   
too. He was confident now that he would stay free, and he intended to make sure of it if it meant taking his own life when there was no other way. 

Spring came, then summer once more...fall... 

Orion was growing to be a handsome young man himself,   
although somewhat on the small side. It was the different breeds of cat in him that did it, as a housecat in the   
gene pool reduced general size a great deal. He was also becoming certain that there was some kind of canine   
in him somewhere too, which might explain why he was so awkward in some things compared to other felines.   
not that he'd known many cats, but those he did know were far more graceful than he was. 

He was accustomed now, at seventeen, to life in the jungles and forests, sometimes the deserts of the   
planet...and he was happy. He rarely spoke now, but it was not for fear, rather than the fact that he had no one   
to talk to. Sometimes he would talk to himself, as many people do when completing a task by themselves.   
His father had used to talk to himself, and he remembered his mother would just laugh... 

He did not often think of home; there was so little that he remembered, and what he did remember hurt   
him inside. But it was all right for now, now he had to concentrate on where he was. 

His body had filled out somewhat in those years, as he grew. He never got really muscular, but there   
was a strength in his limbs that his small stature belied. He was wiry and tough. He ate well, having learned   
what to eat in moderation, and what to eat a lot of to make him healthy. As he moved form place to place, he   
discovered what was good to eat, and what was not. He still occasionally swiped bread or milk from a village,   
as they were things he could not get for himself. Sometimes he even swiped some dessert here and there. But   
mostly he lived on what he caught, and found. 

Orion wore his hair in braids, having seen one of the Mutants in one of the cities wear it in a similar   
manner. He cut his mane as best he could with his dagger when it got in his way, but he thought the braids a   
good way to keep them out of his eyes without having to cut it all the time. It had taken a good deal of   
experimentation, but he had figured out how to do it, and from then on wore his unruly mane in a number of small   
braids. It was cooler in the summer too, he discovered. 

He'd gained a few other scars here and there, from beasts he'd encountered in his travels, and had   
developed a slightly stronger dislike for the jorick ants after nearly falling into a pit, and having gotten stung   
more times than he would have liked. But the young man had come through little trouble in many months. It   
was nice not to have to worry, he thought one day. It was fall, and not too cold out yet, and Orion was enjoying   
the crisp weather. It was nearly time for the fall festival, a gathering that mot of Plundaar participated in from city to city, and   
which Orion had never gotten to see as a child. He had watched form afar a few times, envying the way the Mutants there could freely participate, but also thinking it was just as well, since he did not like to be physically close to people. 

But this year, he decided that he would like to at least walk around. 

Orion had acquired a pair of sturdy boots, stolen from a well-to-do leathersmith. He had made many of   
this clothing items himself from the skins of what he caught, but mostly they were small animals, and while   
they worked well for clothing and gloves, he'd wanted something to last on his feet. he had long pants and a   
long tunic, made from stolen cloth, since Hintracrii's clothing no longer fit him. he had kept them though, although they were little more than rags now. The clothing and the picture and the book. 

But he had left his pack hidden in the forest south of town. He wore a hood against the cold, and a   
warmth mask across his face, intending to walk in the market. He rarely took money when he went into town   
for bread or the like, but on the occasions that he idd, he saved it for special occasions. 

And now he had a few credits that he could maybe spend in the   
village. He hoped that no one would be suspicious of his mask, as he knew of Plundaarians wore them, and   
his smooth facial features could easily have been a simian's underneath. He thought the risk was worth going   
into town without sneaking and skulking for once. 

No one gave him a second glance for the most part, although at an involuntary flinch when someone   
bumped him, or a subtle moving away when someone got too close did earn him a strange look or two. But he   
did not make a big deal out of it, and no one said much. 

Orion wandered among the stalls, smelling dozens of different scents in the air...cider form the fruits   
around the town, breads of a dozen different kinds, candles, incense... There was almost too much, but Orion   
was enjoying it a great deal. 

The young cat had bought some bread and a small game with a wooden board and stones, that one could   
play alone. He had played the game only once, and liked it, and he figured that it would give him something to   
do when he was not hunting, or sleeping. 

He stayed in town for most of the day, and then retreated as the sun began to set, and the cool wind   
became chilly. He had not been questioned once, which relieved him, and he'd been able to spend a day among   
the civilized. And he had gotten some good food and a game. 

He watched the lights of the festival, as the more hardy and fun-loving of Mutants kept the festivities   
going in the night. But soon, Orion retired to where he had hidden his pack, and slept. 

Chapter 36 

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	36. Chapter 36

36 

It was not long after that that it happened. Orion had never seen a Wermier in real life, he only knew   
that they were big, smelly reptiles, smelly enough so that not even the dogs would go near one if it had any sense of smell at all. He also knew that they were mean, had sharp teeth and long claws. 

But he met one three miles south of the town where he'd gone to festival. 

Orion had only just sat down to a newly cooked meal, puling his cloak about him against the cold wind,   
when he heard what almost sounded like a snort, like the wild pig creatures he often saw running around on   
the farms and ranches. But it sounded bigger. And what in the hell was that smell? 

Orion scowled and stood up, his eyes scanning the trees, when a gust of wind sent a stench wafting   
towards him big enough for his eyes to water. He had to fight to keep his lunch down. "Disgusting...what the   
hell is that?" The young man picked up his pack, and had begun to move out of the way of the offending wind   
so that he could track down whatever it was...when he saw it. It was half his height easily at the shoulders, a   
dark, mottled green, like bread that's been set out to mold. It glistened faintly with sweat, and its yellow eyes   
had no pupils. Orion's lip curled in disgust. He knew what they were, but he'd never thought they were so vile   
looking...not to mention vile smelling! 

He also knew of their reputation for savagery. He had left his kill on the fire, and now carefully   
kicked the fire out, keeping his eye on the growling beast. His kill...now that he figured he could easily replace. 

He threw it off to one side, while inching the other way. he intended to run once the beast was occupied.   
But Orion had not anticipated the creature's speed. The Wermier darted after the animal, but before   
Orion could even move, he'd downed it in one gulp. When Orion took off, he sprinted after the cat, intending   
to have a yet larger meal than he'd been given. Orion cried out when he turned and saw the beast, and tried   
desperately to grab his dagger form its hilt. But he was too slow. 

The Wermier dove at him knocking him down and taking his breath. But it did not give Orion time to   
recover, only went for his throat. 

By a survival instinct that was stronger now than ever, Orion managed to get his arm up to ward off the   
fatal bow, and cried out again as needle teeth sank into his flesh. He tried to jerk away, only to scream in agony   
as the beast shook its head, rending skin from his arm. 

Orion, feeling intense pain for the first time now in years, fought violently with the creature, kicking at   
it with clawed feet, using his other hand to jab again and again at its eyes. His dagger had skittered beyond his   
reach, and the spear he'd been using was where he'd dropped his pack. 

He fought bravely, but it was a losing battle. Wermieren were strong, among the strongest of   
Plundaarian animals, and they did not stop until they either were done or dead. Orion fought until he felt hs   
strength being sapped until he could no longer endure the claws and teeth of the animal. Having lost a lot of   
blood, the young man finally passed out, scared that this would be the final resting place of his body. 

It would have been, too, except for a stroke of luck. Minutes after Orion blocked out, the Wermier   
paused in his attack, letting go finally of Orion's arm and looked up to sniff the wind. Sensing there were others   
around, more than he cared to deal with at the moment, the reptile bolted. 

"Now what the hell is this?" muttered a voice, of an accent from a more cultured part of Plundaar. Two   
brightly colored avians in the uniform of the royal guard came into the clearing, not noticing at first that there   
was an injured man in the brush. 

"I don't know...I was sure I heard a Wermier over here though." 

"Yes...I think you're right, here's some tracks. But we weren't on guard to look for animals, you   
know." 

"I know! but I also thought I heard a cry, from a Mutant." 

The first Avian sighed. "Well we will look a little bit more, but then we have to return to out post before   
King...oh jeez." 

The second avian, having split from his partner to investigate what looked like a bloody leaf, stood up.   
"What? What did you find?" he parted the tall bush to look down at what his partner had found...the body of   
what looked for all the world to be a Thunderian. "Is he even alive?" 

"Yes, he is breathing. But a Thunderian! What in the name of all the lords is a Thunderian doing this   
close to the King's Fortress?" 

"Or on the planet for that matter. I've never seen one that wasn't a slave, and this one wears no collar." 

The other shook his head. "We must bring him back, and get him tended. Then we'll ask King Scile   
what to do with him." 

"Are you sure he'll want a...feline in his infirmary?" 

"We can use the ones for the servants. We can't leave him out here to die, even if he is a cat. He's   
still a living being." he looked up as the other two members of their guard group approached and frowned at the   
scene. "Slithaan, search the area, will you? Se if this one was alone or not. We're taking him to the servants'   
infirmary. 

The reptile nodded, and he and the other went off to search. 

The two avians grabbed Orion's feet and legs, and began to carry him back to the Fortress gates. 

When Orion awoke, the first thing he was aware of was pain. Lots of it. He groaned, and stayed still for   
a moment as he tried to force his eyes to let him see where he was. His brain was groggy, and he couldn't   
remember what had happened - the Wermier! He had been fighting the wermier; but why wasn't he dead?   
Wermieren didn't abandon their kills unless there was a reason. 

The next thing Orion was aware of was that he was not lying on the ground. He was in a bed. Oh no.   
someone had found him...but who? Was it someone that would turn him in? Was there even a bounty on him   
anymore? Was it someone that would enslave him again? 

As his mind became more aware, he could see that while he was still a title bloody, that his wounds had   
been stitched up neatly, and that they had been cleansed. he was not restrained, which was a good thing,   
although he could see that the latch on the door was not open. He was locked in, and that made him nervous.   
Where am I?" he murmured. 

As he tried to rise, and found he did not have the strength, Orion did not hear or see the lone guard that   
had been standing watch over him for the past three days. He did not see him look in, then leave, to tell his superior that the cat was awake.   
Orion stared at the ceiling, trying to get up the will to stand, but the pain... He looked down to the arm   
that had been bitten, and saw that a sanitary metal splint had been secured to it. Broken, then. He'd had broken   
bones in the past before, not that they were even given this much attention...but the pain still took his breath   
away. he'd taken a good deal of abuse form the creature, and he knew he was lucky to be alive. but that still   
raised the question: where was he? 

His thoughts were answered a moment later when three Mutants walked into the room. The first was   
the guard, and the second a young woman that was one of the healers. And the third was someone that Orion   
recognized immediately. They had met only once, when Orion was six, but it was not a figure one easily   
forgot. Orion couldn't help but stare. Was he in the King's Fortress then Had he been that close? he knew he   
was in the area, but so close... 

The king looked at him for a moment, then chuckled. "It is very ironic seeing you here," he said to   
Orion. He looked down at Orion's hand and nodded. "Yes, I saw the brand on the palm of your hand, Orion.   
And I remember you." 

Orion's face paled as he too, looked involuntarily down at the brand on his palm that he would never be   
rid of. The king had called him by name...did Blackmoor already know about him? Was he waiting, with his   
whip in hand, to strike him down? And in his condition, Orion would be helpless to fight him... 

His mind distracted by these sudden strong fears, he did not realize that the king was speaking to him.   
"Are you listening to me, Thunderian?" 

Orion snapped his head around, making a flash of pain explode, and he groaned. "I-I...I don't   
know...what to..." He was completely stumped as to what he could possibly say. Suddenly, he felt like he could   
not hold himself up any longer, and collapsed back into the bed, trying to stay conscious. 

The king nodded to the woman, and she began looking Orion over, as she'd been the one checking on   
him. "He is stable, sire," she said to the king. "But I think that he is still in shock somewhat. You might want   
to wait a title while before talking to him I think." 

King Scile nodded once, and told his guard to watch over Orion once more. "I will come back in the   
morning, then, thank you." He smiled at the young medic before leaving her again to her work. 

The medic, a simian woman named Tesaki, went about her ministrations, changing a few bandages, and   
making sure that none were bleeding too badly. Orion had not even noticed that he was nude, and he didn't notice now, as he slipped back into unconsciousness. 

Several hours later, Orion woke once more to find that he did not hurt as much as he did. The medic   
had given him a painkiller that night, now that he'd awakened already. Only the guard was outside the door, as   
before. 

But the guard had seen him awaken, and came in. Orion watched him warily. "I'm not sure just where   
you came from, cat," he said, amiably enough, "But the king wants to talk to you. But he'll wait until you're   
well enough." 

As the guard looked to him for a reaction, Orion tried to find something to say...anything that would get   
him out of this situation. "I-I..." he stammered. "I...don't know how i got here..." he said. he was feeling trapped, something he'd not felt for a very long time. He was feeling an old, familiar emotion of fear and desperation welling up inside him. "D-d-does...does Blackmoor know?" 

"Blackmoor?" The guard frowned, and then an expression of recognition lit his face. "Ohhh, now I   
know where I have seen that brand. No...I don't think that King Scile had told anyone about you yet. only myself, the king, and the healer's been in here. Them and the guards that found you are the only ones who know you're here." 

Orion looked confused. "Th-they...they saved my life then..." 

The guard nodded. "Yep." 

"Why?" 

Now it was the guard's turn to be a little surprised. "Well...I don't suppose that it would be too great a   
thing to leave you to bleed to death." 

"But...I'm Thunderian. Since when did a Mutant even care of a cat died?" 

The guard did not look offended, and only nodded. "Many don't. But most of the people around here   
are pretty decent. They don't believe in cruelty unless absolutely necessary." 

Right...that's why the king let things like Blackmoor's complex exsist...but of course Orion did not say   
this. "Th-then...what am I doing here?" 

"Well I don't know yet...you well enough to talk to the king?" 

"I-I guess so..." 

"All right, then wait here. I am going to lock the door...orders." the guard left, leaving Orion alone   
once more. 

What's the difference, he thought bitterly. I can't get up. Feeling completely helpless, Orion closed his   
eyes. 

Not long afterwards, the door opened once more, and the king came in again. "Are you able to talk,   
Thunderian?" he said. 

"I...I think s-so..." Orion, with some difficulty, rolled onto his side to look at the king. Dressed as   
simply, but elegantly as he had been when he and Orion first met, the colorful reptile gazed mildly down on   
the feline in the bed. 

"Good. My gurads found you in the woods, torn up...a Wermier attack?" 

Orion nodded his head, still looking a little dazed. His eye happened upon his unopened pack in the   
corner of the room, and was amazed that it was there...although his spear and dagger were missing. 

"Please remember how you are to address a king," Scile said simply. Orion felt a flush of   
embarrassment as the reminder, so like Blackmoor's "reminders' to call him master... "Do you know why you   
were brought here?" 

"N-No...Your Majesty..." Orion knew he should not feel ashamed, it was only a title of respect.   
Everyone called the king your Majesty. but old feelings were hard to shake. 

"Well you are here because my guards did not want to leave you to die. And so they brought you in and   
tended. I was informed, but you were unconscious for a long time, and even my healer wasn't sure if you'd survive. many of your size already would have been dead." 

Orion did not answer, letting it all sink in. had he been injured so badly? 

"And so," the king went on, "I think that a debt is owed here." Orion cringed inwardly... "I do not intend   
to turn you over to your old master...although he had had a bounty on you ever since you apparently escaped."   
So, the bastard did have a price on his head still! 

"I do not agree with his methods...but I have spent some cost and time on you here, and i think that   
you might have to be here for a good deal longer. I would like to make a deal with you. I am somewhat   
short of servants here in the palace, as a plague recently took many of the avians..." the king looked mournful   
as he spoke it, and it was genuine. "It was a great loss. but it also leaves me short of service. You stay on here   
once you're able to work, and help my servants until I can get others hired. I would think that by the time   
you're well enough to be on your own, your debt will have been repaid, and I will have gotten more servants. Is   
it agreed?" 

Orion looked at the king for a long moment, and bit his lip. "What...what if I don't?" he said, pleased   
he hadn't stammered, even if it hadn't been as straightforward answer. He still felt a jolt of uneasiness saying   
so to the king. 

The king raised a brow at the question, but did not look particularly angry. "I don't believe there is   
much of a choice, young Thunderian." 

Orion blinked. he ahd expected anger, maybe, but not the matter of fact statement that he'd just gotten. 

"I have paid for the services of a few slaves to help with the burden for now of course," the king went   
on, "But I am still not full staffed even with them. So will I have an answer now?" 

Orion sighed and lay back in the bed once more. he looked to the floor and nodded; Scile was right, he   
had no choice. It was either that, be turned out into the street, or be indebted to the King of Plundaar. none   
were desirable. And the least desirable possibility of all...the king would report him to Blackmoor. 

Looking pleased, the king nodded. "Good. The medic will let me know when you re able to safely   
work. until then, you may stay in here, but I will have to lock the door. it is for your safety as well as anyone   
else's." And with no more than that, King Scile left the room. The guard shrugged, and followed after him, locking the door as he went. 

Well now what had he gotten himself into? He hated feeling trapped. Hated it. 

Orion did recuperate under the expert care of the servants' medic, and was put to work helping in the   
kitchen. It was a big area, and didn't make Orion feel uncomfortable. Those there were nice enough, assuming   
that he was one of the slaves the king had hired form their masters. Most paid him no mind, only told him what   
he was to do, and a few talked a little with him. But mostly, Orion stayed to himself. 

Over the next few days, Orion worked in the palace for his room and board,. When he was well enough,   
he'd been shown a small but comfortable room to stay in the servants' wing, where his belongings had been   
brought. Still he saw neither of his weapons, but he intended to ask once he was released form his work, if   
the king kept his bargain. And if not, he had been thinking of ways to leave. 

But he need not have worried. king Scile was ruthless, violent at times, and as arrogant as any monarch, but he was a basically honest man. 

As Orion prepared to get up for the morning's chores, there was a knock at the door. Curious, he   
opened it, and was surprised to see the king standing there. "Orion. You have upheld your part of the   
bargain," said the king, as he held out a small cloth bag. "This is your dagger and your spear." he handed   
Orion the longer item. "My advisors agreed to your staying only if we kept these until then. You are free to   
go but I advise you, don't come near again. one time I can explain you being here, but the next, you will be   
turned over to the jackal." This was not a threat, only fair warning. 

Orion was surprised, to say the least. He took the two weapons slowly, looking down at them, then   
smiled a little bit. After a moment, he knelt on one knee, and for once did not feel shame at it. he was only   
showing a monarch respect...as did the warriors, and even the lords of the castle when speaking with the king.   
And he respected him. "Thank you," he said. 

The king smiled. "You are welcome. Good luck. You may leave from the back, the servants' exit. It   
leads ot into the jungle beyond. No one should see you there." 

Orion nodded and watched the reptile leave, then stood up. He laughed a little bit as he gathered his   
things up, putting his dagger to his belt and attaching his spear to the back of his pack. There was a nagging   
fear that someone would shoot him on his way out, or capture him in a net or something...a leftover from his   
childhood where he could not trust anything anyone said to him...but neither of those things happened. He   
walked into the trees without an incident. he had a vague feeling of being watched, but correctly surmised it   
was only the roving patrol. 

Orion felt pretty good, he decided. He'd gained a couple more scars from the damned Wermier's attack,   
and it was for damn sure that when he ever smelled that again, he was running as fast as he could no matter   
what he was doing. Smells did not leave the memory when their bearer nearly kills you. And besides, scars, he   
could handle. Not like he didn't have enough. 

And so he was on his way once more. 

Chapter 37 

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	37. Chapter 37

37 

Orion had a lot of time to think as he journeyed. He had time to think about what he had been through,   
what he had become, what he was doing... Most of all where he would go. For a few years now, he'd been   
free, and on his own. He noticed something. While he remembered liking the young jackal girl that had taught   
him much of what he knew about hunting, he had never felt any kind of an attraction towards females. At least   
none that was different than his attraction for males: any he met he liked, as a friend. He knew more about Mutant races than his own, but he did know that by this time in his life, he should have started going through puberty. 

He had, in some respects. He'd grown taller, stronger, he was still a little skinny, but not childishly so, the   
fur on his face had never grown any thicker than any of the other places, but then not all cats did grow thicker   
facial fur. But the way he thought... He didn't know if it was right. As he got older, he did naturally think of   
the opposite sex, and about someday taking a mate. And while the idea of having a child of his own appealed   
to him a great deal, the idea of having a mate did not. In fact, when he thought about Kwiri kissing him on the   
cheek, that was enough to make him feel embarrassed. It had been pleasant, kind of. But if he thought   
about doing anything beyond that, he felt like shuddering. 

Any time he thought about mating, getting that close to someone physically and mentally, he felt   
actual revulsion. And he knew that was not normal. 

He sometimes felt regret that he could never have children of his own. He knew why it was. He knew   
why physical touch was usually revolting to him. Something he avoided, and it like many other things was   
because of Blackmoor. There they touched him whether he wanted them to or not. All part of making him feel   
powerless and vulnerable. And so he hatred to be touched. And he knew that wasn't normal either. 

Sometimes it made him feel like a freak, other times it made him feel sorrow that he could never really   
have a family. At least not as he was now. And plus, who would he mate with? Thunderians were not free   
people on Plundaar. Not anywhere. And besides, could Thunderians and Mutants even successfully mate? 

No, unless he got off the planet, Orion would never be able to take a mate. 

Most the time when he thought about it, he tried to steer his mind elsewhere. It did not always bother   
him, but it did much of the time. He felt like this was not his place, even though he'd lived there more than he'd lived on Thundera. 

Even as he grew older, from a teenager to a young man, he never felt an attraction. He had resigned   
himself by this point that he never would, but it still stung. 

Orion had had many adventures in his life away from Blackmoor. Often times they ended in mild   
disaster, and sometimes they ended making him stronger. Sometimes they were just comical, and Orion was   
glad no one was around to see it. He recalled one time crouching on a log, his toe claws sank into it, fishing in   
the stream below with his spear. It was a somewhat shallow stream, but of such a dark color with algae, Orion   
hadn't known that at the time. He had fallen in. 

The young man had thrashed around in the water for nearly a full minute before realizing that it was not   
more than two foot deep, and that he could sit in it without feeling panicked. Although he was alone, Orion's   
face had been bright red underneath the fur when he picked himself out of the stream. he'd decided that was   
enough fishing for one day. 

The biggest thing of note to happen to Orion was when he was twenty years old, finally out of his   
teenage years, so far as he could calculate. He ironically had been thinking of Hyder when it happened, and   
wondering if he would ever see his friend again. But as he passed by a darkish part of the sparse forest he was   
traveling in, he heard a small whimper. At first thinking a child might have gotten lost nearby, he frowned,   
and walked slowly towards it. But as he proceeded, Orion could tell it was not a sentient creature making the   
noise. But it did sound very young. 

"Hello..." he called softly as he walked, to get whatever was in trouble used to his voice. It had a familiar smell to his feline senses...but he could not tell what. "Shhh, it's all right." He'd heard a few more yelps, and was getting a little worried whatever it was was hurt. 

After a moment, Orion finally found what it was. Tangled in the vines of a sticky seppit plant, was a   
little feral canine? That's what Orion thought at first. Whatever it was, it was filthy and scrawny; it was   
apparent it had not eaten well. "Hey," Orion said in a low tone, as he knelt by it. "Don't be afraid...just hold on   
here." Tentatively, Orion reached out a hand, only to draw it back quickly as the frightened cub snapped at him.   
"No, no, no," he said, his tone never rising above a soothing lull. "Its all right. Just let me...get in here..." 

After a few moments, the little creature finally let Orion grasp his paw. It was not so much as he trusted the   
stranger, as he couldn't fight anymore. the little guy had exhausted himself trying to get free, and after a few   
days of not having anything to eat, which made things worse. 

But Orion smiled at the ltilte animal and spoke softly to it as he disengaged his paw and his midsection.   
"Shh, shh...easy..." he said, as he set the baby down. The cub did not look all that old, and although Orion was   
not exactly sure what it was, he could tell it hadn't been cared for. Perhaps its parents had been killed...in the   
harsh Plundaarian environments, it was a possibility he thought likely. He frowned, hoping the little one did not   
run away; he would be killed if he did. Attacked by some predator, or simply dying of hunger. Orion was surprised that he was still alive as it was. 

But the animal did not run. It regarded Orion with frightened eyes, and backed up some but it did not   
run. It was hungry, and wanted its parents. 

Orion smiled and sat slowly on the ground, his hand extended. The little creature tentatively sniffed at   
the hand, and Orion could see that he was shaking, whether in fear or cold, he wasn't sure. But then the animal   
took a step forward, lost its balance, and fell sprawled in its side. He yelped, and Orion could see its side was   
sore, as if it had been attacked. he felt very bad for the little guy, and slowly went to pick him up.   
The creature whimpered once, but Orion was warm, and his clothing was warm...and there was no sense   
of danger. So he did not bite the cat, only shivered in his arms. 

Orion's smile widened as the little guy seemed to accept him, at least for now, and he carefully wrapped   
one of his warm shirts around him as he held him. He stroked the bristly mane of the animal and realized with   
a shock that it was a cub of the race that Hyder had evolved from! Had Orion traveled that far south in his   
journeys? He hadn't thought he'd been anywhere hear the fields and savahnahs that the creatures usually   
resided in, but apparently he had. The cub's black coloring had thrown him for a moment, as they were born   
black, but this was a spotted hyena cub, a feral one, that Hyder's clan had evolved from. 

The hyena buried its head in the shirt, and curled up tightly in Orion's arms, and the young cat smiled.   
He had some milk somewhere he'd gotten from a nearby town, he would see if the little guy would take some of   
it but for now he'd let him rest. He certainly seemed as if he needed it! 

To his surprise, Orion watched the cub close its eyes and go to sleep. He felt vaguely flattered, that a   
feral animal trusted him enough to do so, But he had no intentions of harming it, and he knew the animal probably felt that. 

Orion stayed that way with the little hyena in his lap for about an hour before the pretty little creature   
opened its eyes and looked around. He looked startled but not so terrified, and Orion thought he felt a thin   
thread of trust from the little guy. "Hey," he said softly. the hyena looked at him. "How you feeling? You want   
something to eat?" Milk...he had some milk somewhere, he was sure. Orion set the hyena on the ground, still in   
his shirt, and hunted through his bag. 

He came up with a small water bag he'd been using for milk, and it still had some in it. The spigot of the   
bottle looked small enough for the hyena to ba able to get in his mouth. Not sure how to hold him, Orion just   
tipped the bag towards the young hyena's mouth, and was pleased when he eagerly began to suck on the flask.   
he tipped it a little so he could get at the milk and smiled. Yes, he was definitely hungry. 

"Well that's all my milk you drank, little guy," Orion said after the baby had finished it off. He did not think that baby animals drank water, either. Did they eat meat? He did not think that they did; he would have to go into town more to get the   
milk. Maybe he could buy a larger quantity when he had the credits so he would not have to steal them. 

After eating, the little guy curled back up and went to sleep again. Orion gazed at the little creature and   
decide that he would take care of it; he needed someone. 

Orion carefully picked the little one up, slung his pack on his back, and headed off once more. 

Throughout the day, Orion had watched over the baby as they traveled. Sometimes the hyena insisted   
on walking on its own, but then it got tired and wanted to be carried. Orion was glad to oblige. He'd cleaned   
him up, a task the young hyena had not enjoyed but something that had to be done, His injury was not bad, but   
it was dirty, and he noted the little guy seemed to feel better once it was cleaned. He'd swiped some milk   
from the nearest town to feed him again, as he'd seemed hungry. He'd also gotten him to eat a tiny bit of meat   
as well. Orion wished he could read...then he could find a book on what their kind ate. But the hyena seemed   
not to be getting sick, and Orion thought that they might be able to eat a wide variety of things. That would make things easier.   
By the end of the day, Orion had named him Falcon, a name he wasn't sure why he picked, but it   
seemed to fit him. He wondered if when he was old enough, if Falcon would leave...he was a wild animal   
after all, although he seemed very intelligent. He would not prevent him if he wanted to be on his own...that   
was one thing Orion would never do in his entire life was collar or keep someone against their will...even an   
animal. He would miss him though. Already he could see that. 

That night, Orion made a bed for the little one in the shirt he'd used earlier and some piled up dirt. he   
seemed quite content sleeping there, Orion thought as he lay down close by. He had built a fire in the rocky   
clearing, and now the embers were dying down, making the area comfortably warm. Feeling content, Orion fell   
asleep. 

The next morning, Orion awakened to find that Falcon still was there, looking up at him curiously.   
"Hungry little one?" he asked. The little creature made a strange sound that was almost a howl. He was a   
little startled, but laughed a little at eager sounding noise. "I guess that's yes. I have a little milk left, come   
here little guy." He gestured to his side, and was actually surprised to see that Falcon did so. Had he   
understood? Orion did not know how intelligent a feral hyena was. He fed Falcon, and petted him a little while,   
still working on brushing out the mats and tangles in the hyena's dark pelt. "You sure are a mess," he said fondly to the little hyena. "But that's okay, at least you're clean now, eh?" 

Orion spent most of that day and the next few days playing with his new companion, and feeding him. he   
was discovering that even as young as he was, although he seemed to prefer milk. he could eat meat. He   
gave him milk whenever he could, whenever Falcon signaled that he was hungry, but when he couldn't, meat   
sufficed. 

Over those days, Orion formed a firm bond with the small animal. Maybe he could never have a family but at least he had someone to take care of that he was certain he loved as much as he would any son. 

Orion was not entirely sure Falcon was male, although it felt right. He'd looked of course, and he   
appeared male, but he also remember something Hyder had told him about the feral species...females had the   
same genitalia. Some of the Mutants did, for that matter, and both boys had laughed about that. Either way,   
Falcon did not seem to mind. Orion was sure he'd stay with him...he could feel it. Just a subtle instinct, and   
he was glad. He needed someone too, he just would not admit it. 

All the while. Orion watched over the little one, leaving him only to hunt here and there. But he left him   
by the campfire, hopefully where no one would bother him. And he stayed within earshot in case he needed to   
go back and help him. But it had not happened yet, so far they'd been left alone by creatures sentient and not. 

"I'm glad I found you, Falcon," he said to him one day as he watched the little creature playing in the tall   
grass. Falcon was trying to pounce on something and wasn't being very successful in his endeavor. But he was   
having the time of his life trying! Orion grinned as he watched him, and it occurred to the young man that   
while he had been happy since escaping...he thought he'd never smiled as much as since he found the orphan.   
It was pleasant to smile. 

Days passed, and Orion's love for his small charge was cemented. He was positive the hyena would not   
leave him, and he seemed happy. Orion may not have known anything about caring for baby animals, but what   
he felt to be right seemed to be what was needed. And so where Falcon likely would have died that day or soon   
thereafter, thanks to Orion he was an active, healthy cub. His injury was healed, and Orion had finally gotten   
the tangles and knots out of his fur. He went with Orion now when he hunted, as Orion was trying to teach him   
to hunt also; Falcon was not very good at it., He would chase things around, making all kinds of noise, and   
scaring everything off. It made things difficult, but Orion had to laugh. He never got mad or frustrated with the   
little guy, as he knew it wasn't his fault. Sometimes he finally left him behind and hunted by himself so they could   
eat before dark. 

Soon, Orion began noticing that parts of Falcon's coat were lightening up. As days then weeks went   
past, the cub's coat began showing the spots his kind were known for. He was a cute little thing, Orion   
thought. And he grew very slowly, he also noticed. He wondered if that was because he was small for his   
species, or maybe because he had a rough start, or maybe just because the hyenas on Plundaar grew slowly.   
Either way, Orion was happy about it. He wondered how long their life span was. 

One day, next to one of the smaller towns, Orion decided that he would cover up and go into   
town...maybe he would be able to find a book about the hyenas somewhere. Maybe one with simple wording   
that he would be able to read somewhat. One in Plundarian. Basic he couldnt read at all. 

With the young hyena at his side, Orion walked into town. It was chilly, so his face being covered did   
not seem suspicious. It was when it was warm out that he ahd problems. He had quietly asked here and there   
about a store that sold books, and was finally directed towards a small shop near the edge of town. When he and   
Falcon stepped in, he looked around at the books. "No, Falcon," he said gently, as the cub looked as if he were   
about to take off and explore. "Not here. Stay by me, little one." Falcon looked disappointed, but he lsitened. 

Orion had found that the little hyena was very intelligent, and seemed to understand every word he said. on the   
other side of the coin, as they became closer, Orion found that he could tell how the cub was feeling. If he was   
scared, or happy, or mad, he could tell. And especially when he was up for mischief, like he was now.   
"Help you, stranger?" the shopkeeper asked. 

Nervous, as he always was when talking to the Mutants, Orion hesitated. "Well...I-I am looking for a   
book about these creatures here...the h-hyenas." 

"I think that I can help you there." The older Mutant stood and headed for a far corner of the bookstore,   
where several books were stacked on shelves. "We have many books about animals and nature...and I think a   
few about hyenas since they are indigenous to this region. Anything in particular you're looking for?" He eyed   
Falcon, who looked mildly back. "Never saw one that ahd a master though. They're usually wild." 

"I;m not his master!" Orion said, far more vehemently than he'd intended. he sighed. "Sorry...didn't   
mean to bite your head off. He stays with me of his own accord...I f-found him when he had scarcely been born." 

The Mutant shrugged agreeably. "No harm done. So you're his papa then." He chuckled. "Some cubs'd say those are synonymous. Well then...here's what we got. Like I said, what you lookin' for particularly?" 

"Well..." Orion looked embarrassed. "I...don't know how to read well. Something that is easy to read,   
and is in Plundaarian. I can't read Basic." 

"Hmmm. Well I bet I can find one or two in the children's section. Right over this way." 

At least the shopkeeper hadn't ridiculed him about it, Orion thought, as he followed him to the other   
side of the store. He looked at the brightly colored books, the books about nature, books that helped you count   
or read, and of course books about animals. He looked over the three they had in this section, and thanked   
the shopkeeper. 

"If I can help ya out any more, just let me know, son." 

"Thank you." Orion picked one of the books up, and saw that it had no words. It only had a lot of   
stylized pictures and some maps. That wouldn't be of any use to him, and it was obviously for very small   
children. The other two both had real photographs of the creatures, and both had a lot of information. oOne of   
them had broader information about the different animals in the hyena family, while the other focussed on the   
best known of them, the spotted ones. He found the prices, and after counting his credits, and doing some mental addition (which was something he was not all that bad at) he discovered that he had enough to purchase both books. 

Taking them up to the front, he gave them to the shopkeeper. "I-I would like these two, please." 

With a nod, the Mutant took them and looked at their prices. He added them on the mini screen and told   
Orion the total, and Orion handed some credit chips over from his pocket. "You're a strange one," the shopkeeper said as he gave Orion his change. "You've got strange hands. you a simian?" 

Orion swallowed hard, thinking fast. "I-I...I'm a mixed breed," he said. It was even the truth. Maybe hs should start wearing gloves. But then woudln;t that be drawing attention to himself? 

The shopkeeper nodded, as if now he understood. "That'd account for it. That why you cover your   
face? Most folks aren't kind to half breeds around here. Kinda ignorant of them, I think. 

Orion laughed a little nervously as he bent and petted Falcon's head. "Yeah...I think so too." 

"Traveler, eh? Well good luck on your journeys." 

Orion nodded as they headed out. "Thank you. Good month ." It was a Plundaarian goodbye, akin to   
"take care" or "have a good one". 

Outside of town again, Orion let Falcon run around the forest to get rid of some of his seemingly endless   
supply of energy while he sat down to look through his two new books. Sitting in the chilly air, he paged   
through the book, looking first at the pictures. He looked up as the sun came out form behind a cloud...not that   
it made much difference in the light, but he could feel the difference in the temperature. He took off his hood   
as it became a little warmer outside, and he looked again to the book. 

"Ta-ble...of con-ten-ts..." he read slowly aloud. As he looked at the Plundaarian words, he surmised this   
must be a list of what was inside. Territory...that had been a difficult word. Feeding, different kinds...there were   
seven or so chapters in the book about hyenas. There were nine different kinds, he read. Spotted, striped,   
Mixed (which was a combination of both spotted and striped, and was nearly extinct) brown, gray, white, red   
(which were a rusty orange color, almost like the coloration on a puma) saber-toothed, and jackals. Orion had   
not thought jackals were a part of the same family, and as he read the chapter he found out that they were not,   
but they were the only member of their species, and so were in the book with their closest cousins on Plundaar. 

"This book is hard to read," Orion admitted to Falcon as the cub streaked by chasing a fast-flying insect.   
He didn't feel embarrassed there by himself...he knew why he couldnt read. Blackmoor believed that an ignorant   
slave was less of a threat. Sometimes that was true; one who could not read had less power to survive. But he   
confused literacy with intelligence. "It says here that you can eat meat when you're born, but sometimes it   
will make you sick. But most hyenas mothers feed their cubs milk until they are almost adults, because a hyena   
feed is dan...dangerous." 

Orion read quietly to himself as he continued reading about the fascinating creatures. He read about   
the saber-toothed hyenas, who lived in the frigid south, and the albino or white hyenas, who lived in the caves   
and caverns on the equator. Gray hyenas were often mistaken for wolves because of their canine appearance   
and gray coats, and the black hyenas were feared by all as bad omens. Orion thought they were neat looking.   
The red ones were the strangest of all. they had a vaguely spotted hyena shape, but were a rusty red, like an intensely colored puma, with vague spots of a deeper red.   
He also learned that a hyena's life span was pretty long, about half that of a Thunderian's, and that   
they stayed in cubhood for a long time. 

Orion spend most of the day reading his books...and where as a normal adult would have finished them   
in a couple of hours, it took Orion far longer than that to read everything. He enjoyed it, it was only that he   
spent most of his time sounding out words. His eyes hurt by the time he was ready to eat supper. "No hunting   
tonight, Falcon," he said. He gave the cub some of the milk he had,. and the rest of the previous night's kill,   
while he himself ate fruit. he could live on fruit for at least a little while, hyenas could not. 

He did learn quite a few things about hyenas, helpful things like what they could and could not eat, and   
what kinds of weather they could endure. It would be good not to go south, where it was colder but that was   
okay. Orion didn't like the cold, either. He was headed a little farther north, where the weather was warmer.   
It had been so many years now since his escape from Blackmoor's. He had come such a long way. He   
no longer cringed if someone made a sudden movement around him. He still stammered when he talked to   
someone he was nervous around, but it was not a constant thing. he was able to bring himself to bathe in a   
stream without freaking out, even if it was waist deep. He had found someone to care for...someon he loved as   
a child. And he was free. For seven years now, he was free. Compared to...eight years? Yes, eight years of   
slavery. 

Orion did not even remember Thundera. Nothing beyond vague glimpses of images in his memory.   
The sky, his father's face, his mother picking him up after he fell from his hover scooter. The clearest memory   
he had though...was his father telling him of his own inner worth. 

_"I understand, little one," he said quietly, as his mate looked on in approval. "Your pride was hurt. I understand that very much. But you know better than that. You know that what kind of cat you are has nothing to do with what's in here." He gently poked the child's chest, where his heart would be._

It had been after a tussle with a group of children from his town, one in which a closed-minded adult   
Cheetah had taken their side in, simply because of Orion's mixed heritage. 

_"I-I tried not to get mad and ignore them like you say, but I couldn't and I just did it and didn't_   
_even think when I was!"_

_"I know. And I am proud you tried. Next time I want you to remember your worth, and try even harder_   
_to keep your temper, all right? They don't know any differently, and unfortunately many grown-ups here agree_   
_with them. They don't understand true worth." Bowan sometimes wished he had made it to the ThunderCat_   
_ranks before having his son. The ThunderCats understood that type of thing; at least most of them did. They_   
_would have accepted him and his child as equals. "I know you can do it, Orion. Just remember your own_   
_worth, and your own honor, and pay them no mind." He put a hand under his son's chin and lifted it. "Keep_   
_your head up. Never be ashamed of yourself for what you are on the outside."_

Thinking of his father's kind words, which had rung so true in his heart, Orion looked to the ground. he   
and Falcon were stopped for the evening, and had already eaten super. The hyena cub's head rested on Orion's   
lap as tears slid down the cat's cheek. 

Falcon, who had become as attuned to Orion's state of mind as he was to Falcon's, raised his head and   
whimpered in question. Orion said nothing, only reached out and pet the cub's head. Falcon stepped on Orion's stomach and began licking his face. 

Orion laughed a little bit and ruffled the cub's strip of a mane. "Thanks, Falcon," he said quietly. "I;'m   
okay, really. Just...thinking that's all." 

Satisfied that he'd done what he'd set out to accomplish, Falcon returned his head to Orion's lap.   
Petting the cub, Orion settled back down and thought. 

Chapter 38 

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	38. Chapter 38

38 

Orion slept very little that night, as he could not stop thinking about his family, and his father's words.   
For all these years, living alone in the forests and jungles, he had never thought of his home, Thundera, as it was   
too much sorrow to deal with at the time. He'd needed to heal, in body and soul. but now... He was an adult,   
now, twenty years old. Approximately. He was not exactly sure when his birthday fell on Plundaar. At any   
rate, he was not a cub anymore, and he had been thinking more and more about his parents. Were they alive?   
Were they in a slave complex somewhere? He shuddered to think what someone like Blackmoor could have   
done to his mother and father. 

Long ago, he and Hyder had spoken about going to Thundera. Hyder had asked Orion if he could go,   
too. But Hyder wasn't here and Orion had never been able to find him. For all he knew, his friend was dead. If   
not, Hyder had a much larger chance of hiding and retreating back into the population of Mutants. He hoped   
that he had made it. But now he had to think about what he was going to do in his life. 

Should he try and get off planet? If he did, there was a good chance he'd be found and killed, and he   
had Falcon to think about. But if not, then he was stuck on Plundaar, skulking around the towns, stealing what   
he needed, and living in the forests like an animal. he did not really mind; he felt at home in the wild than anywhere else on the planet. but even so, was that what he really wanted to do in his life? 

He and Hyder had spoken of what they wanted to do once they were free. Hyder had wanted to be a   
fighter pilot, and Orion wanted to be a racer. Now, all he wanted was to go home. 

But what then? 

Orion sighed, turning over in his sleep, and tried to get the circular train of thought out of his head. It   
was going nowhere at the moment, and he needed to sleep; he was exhausted. 

He did finally slumber, and when he awoke, he had nearly forgotten his long musings of the night before. For now.   
The weeks passed once more, and the winter came. in this part of the planet, the winters were not quite   
as miserably cold as in Blackmoor's part of the planet, and Orion and Falcon slept easily enough at night with   
their blankets. 

Winter passed, and spring came pleasantly enough. Falcon grew into a hyperactive, skinny little cub. he   
and Orion were fast friends by then, and more than that. Orion might as well have been his papa, as the shopkeeper had said in the town. 

But once again, Orion had been thinking of Thundera. 

"I've got to try, Falcon," he said to the cub. Falcon, sensing the seriousness of his guardian's words,   
cocked his head and listened. "I can't live my whole life here... Even if I am free now, I have no doubts that   
if Blackmoor even found out where I was, he'd have his men on me faster than i could blink. Even now, so many years later." he sighed and leaned back against a tree. 

He yelped a moment later when he realized it was one of the spined trees of the region and glared at it.   
Orion moved and resumed his soliloquy. "There's plenty o transports. If I could get enough credits, I   
could pass for a simian if I was clever about it. And there are plenty that admit animals." he frowned.   
"But...can I keep up the masquerade long enough to go through a whole flight?" And then there was the other   
problem; there was not a transport that would go anywhere near Thundera. 

The young man sighed. "This is hopeless, Falcon." he shook his head and put his face in his hands.   
"There's no way...I would have to stow away. Or steal a ship and pilot it myself. But I don't know how! how   
hard could it be, though?" 

Falcon whimpered, wanting to help Orion with whatever was making his so sad. he nuzzled the cat's   
hand, and nibbled his fingers a few times before Orion smiled and petted him. "We'll find a way...I swear it." 

A few weeks later, Orion decided that then would be the time. The biggest city in the area was about   
fifteen miles away, and he could make it there in a day or two, depending on how fast he worked. There was at   
least four different spaceports in the city, and probably more little ones spread around the town and the suburbs. 

And it was a crowded city, and there was less chance of someone noticing him, hyena cub or not. And the chances of him hopping a transport were far better. 

Yes. That was what he needed to do. "Come on, Falcon," he said, picking up his belonging and   
beginning to pack up the camp. he made sure the cooking fire of the previous night was out and stuffed all his   
things into the backpack he had been using. He ruffled Falcon's mane, and they started off. 

It was a couple of days before they reached the outskirts of the city, and Orion once again wore pants and   
a long sleeved, hooded top. The hood could be drawn clear over his face, which was god, because he didn't want anyone to see it. If he only kept his head down it should be okay. He had his mask on as well, which covered his nose and mouth. 

Little happened as Falcon and Orion went through the city, Orion with his head down, Falcon sniffing   
everything he came across. A few people looked his way, but didn't stop him or give him any trouble. So far so   
good, he thought. So far so good. 

Eventually, as lunchtime approached, the suburbs gave way to the city, and Orion couldn't help but look   
up at the tall buildings and crowded streets. Until now, he had been avoiding the big cities, for fear that someone would recognize him. But surely not this many years later... 

Orion could not just go to a spaceport and sneak aboard. he had to watch them for a few days, get an   
idea of how things worked, and what transports went where. He had to get used to the schedules and what   
transports he could hide on hand which ones were too small. And...he ahd to find out if there were any with   
escape pods that got close enough to Thundera. Of course the very idea of getting into a tiny escape pod make   
him shake. 

But to be home, he would risk it. 

As he walked, he saw something that made a chill go down his body, and for a moment he wasn't sure if   
it was now, or seven years ago. He stopped short, squinting at something on a light pole. Falcon frowned and   
amde an inquiring sound. Not even hearing the cub, Orion went over and looked at the poster that looked all   
too familiar. "My gods..." he said to himself. it was ripped, but it still was what Orion thought it was; a   
wanted poster. And it had his picture on it. Him, at thirteen. Was it an old poster? A ghost from seven years   
ago? It _was_ ripped and dirty. "No..." he said to himself, shaking his head. "It's got to be an old one." He   
scowled and ripped it down, throwing it into a trash receptacle on the street. It did seem like an unpleasant omen, though, seeing that old poster. 

But was it old? It was dirty and ripped, yes, but it had rained lately. Orion shook his head and   
dashed the thought from his mind. It was just an old poster that had somehow survived on the lamppost from   
his escape. Blackmoor probably had forgotten all about him by now. 

Falcon was still looking up at him, looking perplexed. Orion laughed and picked him up. "Hey it's all   
right. We're gettin' out of here." he set the cub down and headed for someplace he could get lunch.   
He rooted through his pack and found a few credits, that he could use to buy a decent meal. 

Sitting in the corner of the outside diner (The Jackal-Den), he slipped some of his meal to Falcon here   
and there. The first thing he ahd to do was find out where the spaceports were, the public ones. And then...well, he'd see what happened. 

"Do you really think he's even still here?" 

"I dunno... Maybe. but after all this time, I highly doubt it. He's probably not even alive, still." 

"What was the name again?" 

Two vulturewomen were talking at a table a few yards over, and Orion hardly even noticed them   
talking...until amazingly enough, he heard his name. 

"Well there wasn't a last name, as it wasn't known, but the name he answers to is Orion." 

Having been feeling a little sleepy and sitting laid back in his chair, Orion was suddenly wide awake,   
his eyes popping wide open. Nearly choking on the drink he held in his hands, he leaned forward to listen to   
the conversation. 

"Orion, huh?" The woman shook her head. "A Thunderian name if ever I heard one." 

"It doesn't matter," the second one said. "Blackmoor's got rocks in his head if he still thinks that cat's   
hanging around. I mean, this is halfway across the whole planet, and he's got his posters here." 

"It does seem a little obsessive," the first agreed with a shrug. "Who knows? maybe we'll find him   
someday...could use the extra money. But still...seven years ago?" 

The woman laughed, and changed the subject. 

Orion was staring at the women, horrified, but he thanked the spirits or gods that were for giving him   
this advance warning. He did always seem to hear what he needed to, when he needed to. Someone was looking out for him. He hoped. 

Hastily he stood, motioning sharply for Falcon to follow him, and nearly ran from the diner. Puzzled, the   
cub followed. 

Several blocks away from the diner, Orion finally stopped, panting in fear behind a bank. he closed his   
eyes and tried unsuccessfully to calm himself. Damn Blackmoor to hell! Even now, he hounded him. Had he   
had out his bounty the whole time? Orion paled at the thought. All those years. At any time a posse of   
Blackmoor's men could have tracked him down and killed him in his sleep. "This can't be," he whispered. "It   
can't." 

Well that just might make things a lot more difficult for him. If the jackal had been sending   
out pictures this whole time, there was no telling who would recognize him. he was an adult now, yes, but his   
markings were the same, and anyone that realized he was Thunderian was going to stop him to question him, and he'd be discovered. 

Falcon whimpering in confusion brought Orion out of his panicked thoughts, which had run away with   
him. "This changes things..." he whispered to Falcon, now paranoid about being seen or heard. "We've got to   
get off planet, and fast. 

Falcon let a small sound of agreement, even though he couldn't possibly understand what was going on. 

"Yeah..." Orion took a big breath to steady himself and stood up from where he'd been huddled. A   
man across the street was looking at him oddly, and he vacated the block quickly. 

Orion wished he could read better as he checked the public computer system to find out where the   
public spaceports were. he got a few maps ot the place (and found out he could read maps no better than basic)   
and by reluctantly asking a few people here and there was able to find one of the bigger ones. Hakint Aerocenter. 

Keeping his hood and mask carefully over his face, Orion walked around, trying to find something that would tell   
him when the ships took off and where they went. For now he would settle for just getting off of Plundaar. He   
could see to getting back to Thundera once he was out of danger. he was panicking, this he knew, but at least   
he still had control of his thoughts and actions. 

No one gave him or Falcon a second glance, although he did have to pick the little cub up so he did not   
get trampled in the mass of people at the spaceport. So far so good. In fact, as he walked, he noticed a crowd   
standing around something that looked like an electronic bulletin board. It was, of sorts; it showed departures   
and arrivals, and destinations. He couldn't have asked for anything more convenient! he squinted his eyes   
trying to sound out the difficult destinations. he didn't know any of these places. With a fresh surge of panic, he   
realized that he could not possibly know if the place he chose would go somewhere he'd be safe or if he would   
be going to some death camp. In fact, some seemed to be slave transports and prisoner transports! 

Jakilnd. Orion's face pales as he read the word. That one he had heard of, one of the most feared   
camps in the Plundaarian system and the planets it controlled. It was called a labor camp, but no one got out of   
there alive. no one. most didn't last five years. 

And no one escaped. 

Orion bit his lip. Spooked, he began backing out of the crowd, feeling suddenly very claustrophobic, even   
though not very many people were standing close. But as he turned to run, little reptilian kid bumped into him,   
and Orion's hood fell down. As Orion froze for a moment in fear, the reptilian gaped. "A cat!" he exclaimed   
in Plundaarian. "Mama a cat!" His mask was still up, but with the hood down, it was obvious he was no Mutant.   


Orion cursed, throwing his hood back up as people turned to stare, and bolted through the crowd.   
"Hey!" came a man's voice. "A Thunderian! Hey catch that guy!" The cry was taken up by people   
throughout the crowd, but Orion had gotten enough of a head start that by the time people close enough to him caught the cry, he was far enough from them to evade being caught. 

Felling a surge of panic and a nearly overpowering sense of deja-vu, Orion ran as fast as he could from the   
spaceport, keeping Falcon clutched tightly to hi chest and using his other hand to keep his hood up. The crowd   
in this case was a help, not a hindrance. He was able to slip into it and escape undetected from the spaceport. 

Abysmally unnerved, Orion did not stop running until he was at the edge of town, although he did slow it   
to a moderate run instead of a sprint, s he didn't get exhausted. once out of the city limits and on the edge of a   
jungle area on the other side of town that he'd started from, he collapsed to his knees, panting and shaking. He   
let Falcon down, who whimpered in fear and confusion and ran around Orion trying to figure out what was wrong and how he could fix it. 

After a while, Orion began to calm himself down and sit down, gathering the confused hyena in his   
arms. "I-it's all right," he said to the cub, fighting to control his breathing. years of wild living had enabled   
him to run nonstop to the edge of town, but now he was exhausted. "It's okay... We need to get back to the   
jungle though, deeper inside." Oh gods, what if word got back to Blackmoor that there was a Thunderian in   
hakint? Hakint was a big city, but was Blackmoor obsessed enough to come after such a slim lead? Orion was   
an adult now, but did look a lot like he did when he was thirteen. If anyone got a good look at him... 

After a while, he sighed and stood up, letting Falcon down once more. "Let's go," he said, trudging   
along deeper into the jungle with his pack on his back. 

Meanwhile, in the city, there was an uproar at the spaceport. Excited about the idea of a Thunderian   
running around that didn't belong to anyone, people had been milling around the port trying to find him. Flights   
were having to be delayed because the passengers weren't at the post, they were running around looking for the   
cat. Soon, the guards had to be brought in to get people settled down and where they belonged. A few overzealous searchers had to be thrown out, and the guards were starting to question people... 

"I saw him first!" said the little reptilian excitedly to the guard that had stopped him and his family to   
speak to them. When it was determined that they had no ship to catch, that they were only seeing their friends   
off, they had stopped them to talk. 

The jackal guard smiled tolerantly at the boy. "You did, did you? Are you sure it was a cat?" 

The boy nodded vigorously. "Yeah! he kinda looked like a simian, but a lot smoother, and he had cat   
eyes, and pointed ears, too, under his braids." 

The guard smiled again. "You;re doing well, young man. Can you tell me what color he was? Did he   
wear the collar of a slave?" 

The young Mutant shook his head. "No, sir, there wasn't any collar at all, I saw his whole neck when   
the hood slipped off. He was tan, and his fur on top was brown. I dunno about his eyes but I didn't see them long enough." 

"They were brown," said his mother, who had gotten a better look at them from eye level. 

"An' he had a hyena with him too," the child added. 

The guard raised a brow. "A...Mutant? I thought that he was alone.' 

A shake of the head preceded his answer. "No, sir, it was an animal one. It was...what's that word   
again, mama?" 

"Feral?" 

"Yeah! That's it!" The boy grinned at his mother and then at the guard. 

The guard raised his brows further. "Really...they are not common, and certainly not taken for pets.   
That should make things easier. His clothing?" 

"Um...I just saw the tunic that had a hood on it. It was dark red." 

The mother patted her boy on the head and spoke up; the guard looked up to give her his attention. "He   
was, as my son said, wearing a red hooded top. His pants were dark brown, and he wore a pair of green hide   
boots. He wore a large hiking backpack as well." 

"And which way did he run off to?" 

The mother and the child both pointed in the direction Orion had gone. 

"But I couldn't see where he really went," said the child, tugging on the guard's belt. "'Cause there's   
too many people an' I;m too short." 

His mother laughed and whapped him playfully on the head. "I didn't see either, by then there were a   
lot of people trying to see." 

The guard punched in a few more commands to his handheld Infopad, then turned it off and put it away.   
he smiled at the pair. "Well thank you for your help," he said to them. "We're going to be looking for him, as   
a free Thunderian is a danger to the public." 

"It's 'cause we're at war with them, right, sir? And he might be a spy or something?" the child asked.   
The guard smiled and patted the boy's head. "That's exactly right. Of course he might just be an   
escaped slave, but we have to take precautions. You did very well, son, thank you." 

The child beamed proudly as the guard walked away. 

Within an hour or so, the law enforcement people of the city had been notified that there was a   
Thunderian running around the city, and were told to apprehend him on sight. They were given a description   
from the people in the spaceport, and a description of what he had with him. And after a while, they began to   
get a general idea of where he had gone. 

Word even got to the military in a day or so, as rumor. A solitary Thunderian runaway was of no responsibility to them, but some of the enlisted men were talking about it with their supervisors, during mealtime. 

"Why haven't we gotten involved, sergeant?" one of them asked, frowning in puzzlement. "I mean, I don't   
even think the land warriors are getting involved." 

The sergeant shook his head. "If he was a spy, we would have, or if it was even suspected. We've been   
keeping an eye on the situation. But based on the description, they think it's a runaway slave that's been   
missing for a few years." he shrugged. "They;re still keeping an ear out of course, until it's proven either way,   
but for now they;re letting the local authorities take care of it." 

"No sense committing resources to it unless it's needed, right? What with the war going on?" The jackal   
leaned back in his chair. 

"It's not like there's been any real fighting now for about five years," piped up another soldier, a simian.   
"The ThunderCats've stepped up their planetary security." 

"Yeah, well that doesn't mean it couldn't start again." 

"Yeah...that's true, I guess. I heard we're not attacking for a different reason though. I heard that   
Ratilla's got this powerful new weapon that could gain us the advantage." 

The other soldier raised a brow, looking interested. "Oh really? What it is, a planetary missile or something?" 

The second shaking his head. "Nope. It's just a blade. A blade of magical power..." 

The jackal burst out laughing. "Blade? As in Sword? A sword's gonna win us the war... yeah right." 

He shook his head at the simian's indignant look. "You've got rocks in your head, old friend. Well it's time to   
get back to work." Still chuckling, the jackal left the mess area. 

There was another soldier across the table, who ahd been listening very closely to this conversation. he   
frowned, looking concerned. He himself was about to start a vacation from work, well-deserved and fully paid.   
And he showed a great interest in their conversation. Not about the weapon, but about the cat. Frowning, he   
also got up and left. 

Orion, hunting on Thundera, long after his escape.   
(Orion is a bit young looking and Falcon is *way* too old, since I messed up and couldn't make him look right, but otherwise, the picture is good.)   
**Orion and Falcon**

Chapter 39 

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	39. Chapter 39

39 

Orion ran. For the next week, he retreated deeper into the jungle, spending little time for recreation. He   
slept, he hunted, he traveled; that was the extent of his activities for the next week. The young man did not feel   
safe until he was far, far away from the city, and into the jungle. 

On the eighth day, he woke up and listened. Falcon was cranky and out of sorts from the constant travel,   
but today Orion did not intend to go anywhere. he was tired too, and he knew that the cub needed to play. "Hey,'   
he said wearily, looking at the cub who was awake and looking at him reproachfully. "Don't lookk at me like   
that; we're not going anywhere today. Go on and play. Go on." He nudged the cub with his foot, then lay back   
once more and relaxed. 

Seeming to get the idea, Falcon ran off, happy to be able to run around and play instead of the constant   
travel. 

Orion was still scared. but this far into the wilds, he felt at home; safer. Would they look for him here?   
Were they even looking for him in the first place. had enough people seen him to be able to tell who he was?   
Maybe, maybe not. they might not even bother with one person. 

Maybe. 

At any rate, he had the day to spend at his leisure, and fully intended to spend most of it lunging around.   
It had been a mistake, trying to get off planet, he knew this fully, now. And how would he have done it? It   
would have been difficult top sneak a full grown cat, a hyena cub, and a large backpack onto one of those ships.   
he sighed. It looked like he would live his life on Plundaar. It was not so bad; he was free, and he was   
happy. If he could just get away from the uproar, he would be just fine. 

Eventually, word got back about this Thunderian, to a certain slaver in the western quadrant of the   
planet. Seven years later, Blackmoor's businesses still flourished, and his work complex had grown. The   
restaurant had actually been taken out, as he was sick of dealing with food service. his banquet hall stayed open   
of course, for use when he had royal guests. The jorick pit and the mines and the parts yards were still there,   
with one or two added in here and there. Another use had been discovered for the jorick ants' poisons; when   
produced correctly, it made a terribly addicting, terribly dangerous drug. It was well sought after by nearly   
every shady character on Plundaar, as it made the taker think that he could do anything. It gave a false sense of   
strength and confidence. It made him a lot of money. 

Blackmoor had never forgotten his escapee. he and Hyder had been the first to ever escape from his   
complex, and that irked him mightily. Things like this tarnished a slaver's reputation. Hyder had disappeared,   
and Blackmoor knew that by this point, he wouldn't find him, even if he saw him in the streets. Hyenas looked   
too similar to each other, and he would be an adult now, and likely looked far different. But Orion, now...there   
was no way that he could possibly change his appearance enough to look like a Mutant; even a simian. 

But now, there were some interesting reports coming in from hakint, a large city on the other side of the   
planet. A Thunderian had been spotted t the spaceport, apprently trying to find out what ships were going where. and by the description, it sounded a lot like his missing slave. 

"Monkrion," he said slowly to the taskmaster one day. Monkrion was seven years older, but as mean   
and ruthless as ever. 

"Yeah, boss?" he said, looking up from where he was chewing out a tardy slave. He looked down and   
shoved the slave. "Get back to work." 

The slave mumbled his answer and slunk away, happy to get off without punishment. 

Blackmoor smiled rather unpleasantly. The years had done little to diminish his strength or power. "Do you remember Orion?" 

Monkrion thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I remmeber him, the little Thunderian wretch,   
right?" Blackmoor nodded. "What about him?" 

"We may know where he is." 

At this, Monkrion was silent for a moment, his brows raised. "Really..." he said slowly, after a   
moment. "Hmmmm. Where?" 

"There've been reports of a Thunderian running around hakint, near the spaceports, and from the description..." Blackmoor looked significantly at his taskmaster. 

"Oh! I heard about that, that's right, hoo, I didn't even think. You really think it's him?" 

"Well, I don't know. It sounds like it. I want you to select three of your people to go there and   
investigate; try and get a picture of him if possible and send it through the computer systems as a holo." He looked grim. "I';ll know if it's him." 

"You got it, sir. You want to leave right away?" 

Blackmoor nodded. "As soon as possible." 

Miles away from hakint, Orion was getting ready to go to sleep, on the first day he ahd not spent running.   
They had not come for him yet, he thought. but still, over the next weeks, he wanted to get away from this part   
of the planet. Maybe head for the coast. he did always want to see the oceans and seas; he ahd never seen one.   
His region of Thundera was a desert area, and all he'd know on Plundaar was a rather dry climate where Blackmoor lived, and the forests and jungles he'd lived in since then. Maybe a desert or two over the years. 

"What do you think?' he asked Falcon as they settled down to go to sleep. He got a sleepy, rather non-committal growl from Falcon. 

"Yeah that's what I thought; We'll check out the coast...see what it's like." he lay down and closed his   
eyes. 

Several nights later, he was wakened a few hours after going to bed by Falcon' alarmed sounding yelp. 

Waking immediately, and with his hand reaching for his dagger, Orion sat up, listening. He frowned; it felt like   
someone was watching him. Like Kwiri had taught him so long ago, a shadow seemed to have descended on his   
mind. A beast? Or a person? A eprson would be trying to capture him, of this he was certain. "Go on," he   
growled. "We're not food, go away." Often when he spoke aloud, most creatures would run, having learned to   
fear man. 

And lo and behold, as he spoke, there was a rustling in the bush, and it sounded as if there were more   
than one animal retreating from it. A little relieved, Orion sighed and ut his dagger away. "Blasted creatures,"   
he grumbled, and lay back down on his blanket. he use a blanket and another to cover with; he could never stand sleeping bags. 

But still, something nagged at him. The creatures had sounded awfully big, or maybe one exceptionally   
large one. but he tried to dismiss this as being touchy about the spaceport incident. Still, he vowed to move   
on the next day. 

The next morning, after breakfast, Orion and Falcon walked along the jungle's rather clear floor. There   
were enough animals that ate dead vegetation that there was not a lot of rot on the jungle floor, and not a lot of   
underbrush. Orion rather liked this kind of climate and wondered if there was any near the coastal regions, as   
he knew nothing about them. 

Orion had been enjoying his walk, not in any hurry, letting Falcon pay here and there or chase some little   
animal. He never caught any, but he always had fun trying. It was nearly noon, when Orion frowned,   
stopping short, as at the same time Falcon stopped and growled softly. They looked at each other, and once   
more, Orion took his dagger in his hand. Maybe it wasn't a creature last night...he felt it again. Someone was   
watching him. 

Orion was not wearing his long sleeved hooded shirt; as he rarely id in the woods. He ws wearing a pair   
of light pants, his boots, and a short sleeved, light, tan shirt. he didn't run fast; if there was someone here, he'd   
have to face them if he could. 

" It _is_ you." 

The nearly whispered voice made Orion spin to the left, his dagger ready to use. "Show   
yourself," he growled. A moment later, a Mutant steeped out from behind the trees. It was a hyena, dressed in   
the garb of an off-duty military officer or soldier; Orion did not know which. He seemed unarmed, but Orion   
was taking no chances. "What do you want?" he growled. 

The hyena looked sad, and took a step forward. Orion retreated back a step. "I'm...I;m not here to turn   
you in, Orion. Don't you recognize who I am?" The Mutant extended his right hand, palm up, for Orion to look   
at. 

Orion's eyes widened, and he actually dropped his dagger in shock. He looked at his own hand, the one   
that Blackmoor had branded. The hyena's hand bore an identical mark. He looked up again at the hyena's face,   
looking hard. It couldn't be. After all this time wondering about him... "Hyder?" 

The Mutant smiled, drawing his hand back. "Yeah, Orion...it's me." 

After a moment of shock, Orion stepped forward to draw Hyder into an embrace. Hyder returned it,   
putting his arms tightly around Orion's shoudlers for a moment. Orion's eyes were tearing up, and he drew back   
to wipe at them, embarrassed, when he saw that Hyder was also weeping a little bit. "I...I never thought I would   
see you again, Hyder. i worried that Blackmoor had gotten to you again when we got separated." It must   
have been him last night! But why ahd he not come forward then? well, Orion supposed that he wouldn't want   
to wake himself up either, knowing that people were after him. Or did he know? 

Hyder nodded. "I know. I thought the same thing for a while. Even if he didn't get to you I worried, I   
had the food we'd gotten together. After we ran into that damned taskmaster, we took off in different direction.   
I was so panicked..." 

"...that you didn't notice i wasn't there until we were too far away rom each other to find each other,"   
Orion finished. Hyder nodded. "Me too." 

Hyder smiled. "But a few months later, I saw the posters...so i knew he hadn't caught you yet." he   
looked Orion over. "And you seem to have done fine." 

Orion looked at Hyder for a few moments more, verifying that it was true. But then he looked down at   
a nudge from Falcon. The cub looked severely confused, and kept sniffing Hyder, trying to figure out why one   
of his kind smelled sentient. Orion laughed. "He seems to be having trouble figuring you out,' he said to Hyder. 

Hyder hadn't noticed the little one until now, and he looked down. "You found a feral one!' he said,   
surprised. he crouched down to look at the little guy, extending his hand out to him. Falcon growled, and stood   
back, his fur a bit on end. Hyder chuckled. "It's all right, I'm not some big monster thing." As Orion watched,   
Falcon eventually got close enough to sniff Hyder out some more, and finally let himself be pet. 

"Yeah," Orion said, "Found him not long ago, abandoned, and caught in one of those damned sticky   
vine things that grow around on the ground. I hate those things." 

Hyder stood again. "No kidding. Look, Orion...they're looking for you, you know. That little kid that   
bumped into you at the spaceport got a good look at your face before you bolted..." He sighed. "Did you know   
that Blackmoor's still looking for you?" 

Orion bit his lip. "Yeah...I saw the posters, with my old picture on it from when I was thirteen." 

Hyder nodded. "it's a good bet he's heard by now what happened." 

"Yeah..." Orion couldn't keep the fear out of his voice. even now, an adult, he was terrified of the slaver.   
Then he turned to Hyder. "How'd you know I was here?" 

"Well, the military's been notified, too. They think it possible you're a Thunderian spy, since you had   
no collar. I listened, found out which way they think you went." He smiled a bit. "And I know how you think.   
i found your campsite and followed your trail." 

"So it _was_ you last night!" 

Hyder frowned. "No...I found it this morning, after you'd already left it, and caught up with you."   
Orion felt a shiver of fear go through him, and told Hyder about the intrusion last night. "I...I guess it   
was an animal." 

Hyder shook his head. "I wouldn't be too sure. It could be someone spying for Blackmoor. You'd   
better not stick around too much longer." 

Orion thought for a long moment, and then nodded. "Yeah...I...I guess so." he looked back up to Hyder,   
who ahd grown to be about six inches taller than Orion was in adulthood. "You...can you stay for a while and   
talk?" 

Hyder grinned. "That i can do, I'm on leave for a week or so. I shouldn't be missed." 

Orion nodded, glad, and set off into the jungle. They could talk as they walked for a while. Orion   
wanted to get some distance form his campsite. 

They actually did not talk very much until it was getting dark, only walked alongside each other, in   
companionable silence. Each seemed lost in their own thoughts. When it was getting too dark to go any   
further, Orion asked Hyder if he would stay for a night or two, and Hyder readily agreed. The young   
Thunderian left Falcon with his friend, and went off to hunt something down for supper. he had caught a   
creature that lived in the area, resembling a deer, but he was not sure what it was called. It was something he'd   
never seen until coming to this region. He brought it back and skinned it and set the skin out to dry, and   
prepared the animal to be cooked. Hyder watched, impressed. "You've learned a lot, I see. no wonder you've   
been able to survive so well this long. I don't think I could do that if I tried." 

Orion smiled at his friend's praise. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I wasn't so good at it first. I actually   
met this jackal not long after I escaped that helped me. i thought she was going to urn m in at first, but she didn't."   
Hyder noddeed. "I'm glad that you're alive, Orion. I've thought of you many times here and there since   
we escaped. A lot in those first few months." 

Orion nodded. "I know. I felt completely alone... How did you stay out of Blackmoor's grasp, anyway?" 

"Well...I hid out in the cities for a while. being a Mutant, that was easy for me to do. And most   
Plundaarians think my clan all looks alike, anyway." Orion nodded. Hyder shrugged. "That was pretty much   
where I hid, in the cities. I moved here and there, so I wasn't in the same place the whole time. I trimmed my   
fur short, and got some decent clothing with my five finger discount." He chuckled as Orion grinned; he knew   
how that was! "Eventually Blackmoor stopped looking for me; he was more interested in you. He probably   
knew you'd have a more difficult time hiding." 

Orion nodded, his grin gone. "Yeah. he was right, too, I've had a lot of close calls." 

"Yeah. anwyays, i took on a differnet name...please don't use my real name anywhere that can be   
heard, Orion. I've changed it to Ze'ev. I traveled for a while until I actually ended up in hakint, where I found   
someone that would take me in as an apprentice. He was a mechanic, actually, and with all the work you and I   
did in those hangars...that seemed appropriate. He was a good teacher, and I actually came to trust him enough   
to let him know who I was, eventually. he chuckled and said he understood now why I balked at calling him   
my master, as many apprentices call their mentors. He was a good man." 

Orion was looking at the ground, listening to his friend's story. he ahd had more luck that Orion had,   
and he was glad of that. he only wished they could have stayed together. "When my aprenticeship was up, I   
joined the military." he grinned at Orion. "I remember we talked about that a lo, what we would do if we were   
free. I've done it. I joined the military, and told them i was interested in being a fighter pilot." He looked at   
Orion, his smile a little sad now. "You still want to be a racer?" 

Orion shook his head. "No," he whispered. "I...I just want to go home. See if my parents are alive.   
See if anyone I knew in my village is still alive." 

Hyder nodded, his smile gone. he put an arm around his younger friend's shoulders. "I understand, Orion." 

Orion looked at Hyder, almost not wanting to ask. "Do...do you still want to come with me?" He hoped   
that Hyder would say yes. He wanted him safe on Thundera with him...together like they had been as kids. 

Hyder sighed and took his arm from Orion. "Orion..." he said, and then let out a frustrated breath, not   
sure how to say it. "I...I can't go to Thundera with you, Orion. I have a life here now. I like my work, I love   
flying. I've got responsibilities. There's a group of us that's trying to make some changes in the Plundaarian   
government...particulary slavery and poverty issues. you know a lot of those bastards high up in the government like to keep the people as downtrodden as possible. We're hoping to change that." 

Orion bit his lip and nodded, saying nothing more on the subject for the moment. He turned his head   
and wiped at his eyes. 

Hyder was quiet for a moment, before leaning against a tree and asking, "How did you get away? i   
know they were right on your tail." 

"Well..." Orion got a hold of hismelf and thought back to that terrifying day. He told Hyder about   
running, them nearly close enough to catch him, then about him ducking into the trees, desperate for a place to   
hide. he told him about finding the abandoned den, and crawling inside, how he had to force hismelf to lie still   
in there for hours. 

Hyder raised a brow. "You? You crawled in there, as scared as you were of being enclosed?" 

Orion nodded. "Yeah...I figured that they wouldn't find me there, or even bother to look. i was right."   
he told Hyder of staying there until he felt safe to come out...about stealing food and clothing, and about   
Hintracrii. he told him about Kwiri, and of crossing the river, another thing that Hyder was shocked at hearing. 

He told Hyder about finally getting his life into some semblance of routine, without fear, without pain   
and captivity. He told him about his run-in with the king, which Hyder was also shocked at, especially that   
he did not report him. He told him about fining Falcon, who perked up his ears at hearing his name brought up. 

He told him of the events that led up to the incident in the spaceport. then he looked at Hyder to see what he thought. 

Hyder put an arm around Orion and smiled, giving him a brotherly squeeze. "I am shocked, actually,   
all you went through and came through it so well. I'm proud as hell, especially how you braved that river." 

Orion smiled at Hyder, then looked down. "Thanks..." 

By the time the two friend had stopped talking, it was well into the night, and Falcon was already asleep.   
Orion gave Hyder one of his blankets to sleep on, as it was a warm night and he didn't need it to cover with.   
Hyder thanked him and spread it out on the round while Orion made sure the campfire was out. he didn't want   
someone maybe seeing it while hey slept. Turning to look at Hyder several times as he lay down, Orion finally   
closed his eyes, the familiar comfort of Hyder sleeping nearby making him feel content. he fell asleep. 

The next morning, Orion and Hyder resumed their trek, and talked more of their life and things they'd   
done. Orion told him of the time he's fallen into a two-foot deep stream and panicked, and Hyder told him of   
the time that he'd run headlong into the general when he visited their facility. Fortunately the general was a   
decent sort, and only laughed. Orion told Hyder he had gotten somewhat better at reading Plundaarian, which   
made things a lot easier, and Hyder agreed. 

They spent the whole day talking, and by the time night rolled around again, they were exhausted. "I.."   
Hyder sighed, then began again, "Orion, I am going to have to go soon." Orion's expression had turned form   
content to somber at this statement. "Tomorrow, probably. I don't know how long it will take to get back to   
my Skycutter, which i hid a few miles into the jungle before I set out to look for you. And..." And here he   
hesitated, trying to think things out. "I think that I can help you get back to Thundera." 

At this, Orion blinked, and turned sharply to look at Hyder. "H-how?" 

"Well...do you remember anything that Phiron taught us?' 

Orion nodded. "Most of it, yeah...why?" 

"Well, we've got a hangar where we keep our oldest vehicles...ones that we don't use any more down at the base. They   
usually end up in the junkyards, or sold to civilians once they are actually retired. It would not be very difficult   
to get a hold of one of those older ones...some of those are seven, eight years old." He grinned at Orion. "Yep,   
brand new when we worked on them. Most need fixing and parts, but I can do that, easy. They don't make many vehicles I can't fix." 

Orion looked somewhat alarmed. "Hyder...that would get you in big trouble if you got caught." 

Hyder shook his head. "Nah. im there all the time fixing the things, getting parts from them, that kind   
of thing. All I have to do is wait until I can sneak one out from the back hangars, where they don't keep so   
great a guard on them. All I have to do is get rid of any identifying marks, and you're fine. you don't have to   
register vehicles on Plundaar, the private citizens don't, anyway. it would be days before anyone noticed it was   
gone." 

But Orion's face had a look of fear on it. "Hyder...I don't know how to fly!" 

Hyder shook his head. "I can teach you. i have just the ship in mind, in fact, it's simple, easy to learn,   
and common. A lot of people have that model. It's about ten years old, you probably remember working in   
them a few times, the Boomerangs?" they were vaguely boomerang shaped, not all that fast, and since they'd   
ben retired, a popular space-going vehicle for citizens that could afford them. Coming used from the military,   
they were not that inexpensive. 

Orion bit his lip. "H-Hyder...are you sure? If they caught you..." 

Hyder grinned and capped Orion on the shoulder. "Since when could I not get away with things if i   
wanted to?" 

Hyder had been pretty good at sneaking around... "Well... All right.." 

"Tell you what. Walk me back to my Skycutter in the morning, it's not close enough to the city to be a   
threat. Mark that spot...and meet me there in one month exactly. i should have been able to get everything handled by then." he smiled at Orion. "Deal?" 

"W-well...all right..." 

"Hey, relax... It'll turn out fine, trust me." 

And because he did trust him, Orion nodded and lay down to bed. 

The next morning, neither of them said much as they headed for where Hyder had hidden his Skycutter.   
Orion ran his hand along it, smiling a it. "Haven't seen one of these in a long time," he said to Hyder. "And it   
looks a bit different...the new model, i take it," 

Hyder nodded, and grinned. "I;m one of the best pilots in the military," he said. "I should make sergeant pretty soon." 

Orion's smile looked shaky, but he did smile. "I don't doubt it, Hyder. There wasn't much you wanted   
to do that you couldn't accomplish." 

"Thanks, Orion... Look, I;m gonna get out of here. I have a few days left, i want to make use of them   
getting things ready. Remember, meet me here in one month exactly. you have a way of keeping time?" 

"Not a mechanical way, but I've learned to do it in my head, and my the sun and stars." 

"Good enough." he hugged Orion again before climbing onto the vehicle. "Be careful, Orion." 

"You too..." Orion's voice broke as he stepped backwards, picking Falcon up so he didn't get too close   
when Hyder took off. With a wave to his friend, the hyena lifted off, heading expertly through the trees into the   
sky, and waggled his wings in salute. 

Orion waved back.   
  
  


Chapter 40 

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	40. Chapter 40

40 

A month. Could Orion stick around for a month? Yes, he thought so. The jungle was big and dense   
enough, and considering what Blackmoor knew about Orion, he would think he'd run as fast and as far as he could. he had changed a lot. 

He was nervous, just because that kind of fear is not easily gotten over, even for years. But still, he   
moved around here and there in the jungle, after having craved a seemingly natural mark in a tree near where   
he was to meet Hyder. Only he would know. And he memorized the spot, how far it was from the suburbs, in   
what direction... He was certain he would know where to go once the month was up. 

For the next two weeks, he and Falcon lived in the jungles near hakint, and lived peacefully enough. No   
one bothered them, as most people didn't go into the jungles, and they ate well, for the area was rich in wildlife. 

Halfway into the month period that had been set, Hyder sought out Orion once more. It was more difficult   
this time, as Orion had been moving around a lot, but he did finally catch up to him. He knew how Orion   
thought. he popped up from behind a tree, scaring the wits out of Orion. Poor Orion nearly jumped up the   
nearest tree, hyperventilating. He dropped down to the ground and chewed Hyder out, who was trying hard not   
to laugh. "What the hell's the matter with you??" Orion cried, his heart pounding mercilessly in his chest. "You   
scared the kkrekk out of me! I thought you were some miserable guard, or something!" 

"I;m sorry, Orion," Hyder said, not looking sorry at all. He was still trying not to laugh. "Really. I am." 

"Yeah right!" Orion glared at Hyder for a moment more and then laughed. He called Hyder a jatiirk,   
and slugged him lightly in the arm. "So what's going on?" 

"Just wanted to see how you're faring," Hyder said with a grin as they sat down. 

"I;m glad to see you!" 

"Yeah me too! I'm glad to see me all the time." Hyder laughed as Orion glared. Hyder was in one of   
his moods. "Nah, just kidding. I've found the ship I was thinking of. They moved it so I wasn't sure at first   
where it was. They move things all the time, that's why I gave it so long. I've gotten it flyable, and once we get   
it out of the hangar, we can get some parts and fix it further. hell, I think you could do it yourself, if you've   
remembered everything Phiron taught us. it only needs a few minor things, just to make it run a little better, be   
a little safer in space. now it's only a little ship." Hyder winced, looking at Orion as he said it. "It's not gonna   
be easy for you to stay inside it." 

Orion only looked grimly at Hyder. "I can stand it," he said. "If it'll get me to Thundera." 

Hyder smiled. "I kinda figured. Do you know how to read a star map?" Orion shook his head. "Well   
that's all right, there's auto pilot, I can teach you how to use it. It's got no fuel, so I have to fill it before I even   
get it out of the hangar. Again, no problem." 

Orion looked down and sighed. "Hyder...are you sure you won't come with me? i mean...rememebr   
when we talked about it when we were in...you know, when we were kids?" The phrase sounded so strange.   
'When we were kids'. 

Hyder looked at Orion for a moment, and closed his eyes. "Orion...Orion, I can't. We talked about this...   
I'm a Plundaarian pilot! you think they'd accept me on Thundera? No...they wouldn't. And I have responsibilities. I told you that." Hyder's voice wasn't exasperated, only gentle. 

"But...but Hyder...we were always together as kids..." 

Now, Hyder did get a little frustrated. "We were kids, Orion! I mean...things were different. We always   
thought we'd be together when we escaped. It just didn't happen that way. When I couldn't find you...I had to   
get on with my own life, and so did you! It...it didn't happen the way we'd wanted." 

"It could be..." Orion felt bad for putting Hyder in this post, but now that he'd found him, his one and   
only friend throughout his whole childhood... he never thought about Tamarin, because it was too painful. phiron was kind to him, but he was an authority figure. Hyder...Hyder had been in eh same boat as him. 

"I can't!" Hyder said, with such force that Orion actually drew back a little bit. "I;m in the military! I   
leave now, I;m no traitor. We're in a war, in case you haven't noticed!" 

Orion gaped at Hyder. Had he, Orion, become so Plundaarian that Hyder didn't realize? Had he become   
so much like a Plundaarian that he was thought of that way? "A-against my people, Hyder..." he whispered. 

The look on Hyder's face told Orion that had been correct. It was as if Hyder had suddenly realized   
just what being on Plundaar meant for a Thunderian. "O-Orion, I..." 

"I remember you said you'd never fight the Thunderians...now you'd shoot them down?" 

Hyder growled angrily. "No! Orion, we haven't actively fought the Thunderians for five years, longer   
than I've BEEN in the military!" 

"You're still at war!" 

"And we trying to change that! Didn't you hear a thing I said?"   
The two friends glared at each other for a long minute, then Hyder sighed. "Orion, I;m sorry." 

Orion bit his lip and looked down. "No...I'm sorry...I wasn't trying to...I mean it's just..." 

Hyder grabbed Orion's arm and pulled him into an embrace, while Falcon watched worriedly. "I   
know..." he sounded as close to tears as Orion actually was. 

Orion closed his eyes. "I;m gonna lose you again." 

The hyena pulled Orion away form him and looked him in the eye. "Look," he said, wiping his own   
eyes. Orion didn't bother. "When i have finished out my term in the military...maybe by then there will be a   
real voice of those that want things changed around here. If that happens...I'll look you up. i will look for you,   
all right? That I swear. To visit, or to stay...I don't know. But It'll seek you out." 

Orion smiled a little bit, and nodded. "Okay," he whispered." 

"But for now...I have all day." Hyder grinned at Orion. "How about a game of hide and seek?" 

Orion blinked, and then laughed. "You;re kidding." he hadn't played a game in years...not with anyone   
else. 

"Nope!" They had done it all the time...it would be nice to play hide and seek again with Orion. "I'll be   
'it'...go hide!" 

With a grin, Orion took off running. 

Hyder left later that night, but they had made up their quarrel. Hyder told Orion everything else that he   
could think of before setting out to get back to the base, where he stayed. "See you in two weeks," Hyder said   
with a grin. 

"In two weeks,' Orion agreed. With that, Hyder took leave. 

The only odd thing that happened between then and the appointed day, was that Orion was wakened once   
more by Falcon's warning yelp, and the feeling that someone was watching him. he remembered Hyder looking   
puzzled and saying it wasn't him when Orion mentioned this, and stood up, his dagger in his hand. "Who's there, damn it! i know you're there!" 

There was no answer, only a muffled clicking sound that made Orion panic. Were they armed? he   
began to back away, and grabbed Falcon and ran. he heard rustling behind him, but it sounded like they were   
retreating, and Orion stopped, panting, behind a large tree to peer into the darkness. 

He could see no one. 

After that, Orion moved camp, watchful, and the next morning decided that they needed to keep on the   
move a little more. Maybe go farther from the city...just so he could make it back in time. he was sure that he   
could.   
  
  


Chapter 41 

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	41. Chapter 41

41 

Finally, the day came. Orion was terrified, and excited at the same time...and also a little sad. Hyder had   
said he would get a few days off so that he could teach Orion how to use the blasted thing, but still. After all   
this time, it would be the last time he'd see his friend, maybe for years. 

But even so, his excitement was overshadowing everything else. The ship would be stocked with supplies that would keep in space,. because it would take about a week to get to Thundera in that particular ship. It had no hyperdrive. 

Orion had taken out all of his food supplies, and the things that he could easily replace., as he did not   
want anything burdening him that he did not need. The things he had kept, making his pack considerably   
lighter, wee the remains of the clothing Hintracrii hand given her, and the book and picture she had send along. 

As he got a title better with his reading, Orion had deciphered the message on the back. he read it now: 

_Dearest Orion. The greatest of luck to you on your journey, and please be very careful. I shall_   
_be praying for you._   
_Hintracrii_

The young man sighed, put the book in his pack, and packed the couple three other books he'd gotten   
over the years. Some of his clothing he took, some he left. when he was finished, he had only the things that   
meant something to him, and the barest minimum of what he needed. 

Then he took off walking. 

But, only ten minutes from his campsite, he heard something that made his blood freeze up in their   
veins. "Hey! i found a campsite!" 

"He must be around here somewhere..." 

"Well let's find him!" 

"Here...footprints...this way!" 

Orion froze when he heard the final voice snarl, "You'd better not screw it up this time, either!" The   
young cat would never forget that voice, not as long as he lived. he'd been found. 

'No!' he thought desperately, hissing at Falcon to be quiet and picking him up as he began to run. 'No,   
not now, not so close... not now...' but he had to keep his head if he was going to avoid capture, and tired to   
push the panic from his mind. 

"Hey, there's someone running!" 

"Get him!" 

Orion cursed vehemently as the footsteps behind him hastened, and he tossed Falcon down, trying to be   
gentle. "Run," he hissed, shoving his hindquarters. "Run, damn it! I'll find you later!" The cub finally got the   
idea and took off, frightened, into the bushes. 

Orion took off once more, but the Mutants were gaining on him. he was going to have to fight. And   
there was something inside of him that made him want to face Blackmoor on his feet, face to face, instead of his   
retreating hindside. 

Grabbing his dagger, he whirled around, ducking a bit behind a tree to wait for the first of his pursuers.   
It sounded like it was a party of five, including Blackmoor. The clicks Orion had heard that one night when he'd been awakened, it had been Blackmoor's scouts getting their pictures. He'd spoiled their first attempts by waking up and startling them. But Blackmoor had immediately recognized the Thunderian. 

Quietly, Orion looked up and climbed the tree, crouching on the lowest branch, his dagger ready. He   
was gong to go for Blackmoor. If he killed Blackmoor, the others would likely kill him, but at least he would   
have gotten rid of the one person he hated more than anything else in the entire galaxy. He'd forgotten to bring   
his backpack up, but it was too late now. 

Wait for it...wait... 

Orion shuddered in fear when he actually saw him. Although Blackmoor did not   
quite look as big as he did when Orion was younger, he looked no less mean, and just seeing him brought all the   
old fears right down on his mind. 

Growling mentally, Orion cast them away and concentrated on what he was doing. he was right; there   
were four taskmasters, one of which he recognized as Monkrion and another he recognized in passing.   
Blackmoor brought up the rear, and looked as angry as Orion had ever seen him. 

Wait... Scarcely daring to breathe, Orion waited, crouched on the branch, and watched the hateful jackal   
come closer...closer... Nearly close enough... 

There! With a fierce cry that nearly sounded like an animal attacking, Orion leapt onto Blackmoor,   
plunging his knife into his body. Blackmoor wore little clothing, usually only breeches and his boots. He was   
bare-chested, which made it all that much easier. 

Blackmoor howled in rage and pain...but mostly rage, and lashed out with his fists at his assailant. but   
Orion was acting with ll the fury and hurt and humiliation that Blackmoor had caused him over the years. He   
cursed aloud in Plundaarian when he saw that his knife had not struck anywhere that was immediately life-threatnning, and drew the dagger back for another strike. 

He and Blackmoor had fought for a few minutes before the shocked taskmasters were able to react. 

They had, after a few moments, realized who it was, but none except maybe Monkrion could have imagined that   
the skinny little Thunderian would be this bold...and fight as well as he was. Monkrion had been with him most   
of the time, the first couple of weeks. he had seen close up the spirit that resided in the child's heart. And now,   
as a man who'd lived in the wilds for nearly half his life, showed that same spirit. 

Orion had managed another glancing blow on Blackmoor before Blackmoor got in a good punch on his   
face, and Orion paused for just a split second. but it was enough for monkrion to grab the arm he was using and   
wrench it backwards. 

And then the others were on him. 

Orion fought like all the demons of hell were fueling him, and the taskmasters had a difficult time   
restraining him. As Blackmoor staggered back, snarling in rage and clutching his side where Orion had gotten   
in his first shot with the knife, everyone in the fray took a good amount of blows. however, slowly but surely,   
Orion was being subdued. They slammed him against the nearest tree, knocking him half stunned long enough   
to wrench his arms behind his back. Monkrion slammed his fist into Orion's sides several times until the   
Thunderian gasped for breath and stopped fighting enough for them to jerk him away from the tree and turn   
him around to face Blackmoor. 

The taskmasters, all sporting fresh new bruises, forced him physically to his knees, while Monkrion   
grabbed his braided mane and forced him to look up. Orion looked Blackmoor right in the eyes and spat. 

Blackmoor growled, approaching the restrained Thunderian deliberately, trying to intimidate him. but   
Orion was beyond that. At first he had felt terror, and as he'd run, a rage like nothing else he had ever felt had   
swelled inside of him. Blackmoor was going to kill him anyway, and he was going to make it as difficult as   
possible...and if he could take Blackmoor out in the process, all the better. Orion did not cringe away. He had   
had enough of that. 

"You miserably, filthy wretch," Blackmoor hissed, kicking Orion in the stomach. Orion gasped and   
buckled over, but was brought upright again by the Mutants holding him. The cat snarled. "You seem to have   
regained your arrogance, slave," he said to Orion. "Forgotten who your betters are!" Again he kicked him, and   
brought his fist down hard across Orion's shoulders when he doubled over a second time. 

Orion was not able to speak for a few moments, but the second he was able to breathe, he straightened up   
suddenly, making the taskmasters holding him think he was making a break for it, and tighten their grip.   
Monkrion was sinking his claws into the cat's flesh, trickles of blood seeping from the punctures. "You can rot   
in hell, Blackmoor,' Orion snarled in Plundaarian. Blackmoor's eyes widened. "you took my entire life from   
me, you filthy, cowardly excuse for a Mutant! you tortured an innocent child, took his freedom, beat him down   
until he begged you not to hurt him! That's unforgivable!" 

"You have overstepped your place, Orion," Blackmoor said, the cold fury pulsing with every word. 

Orion did not back down. he forced himself to his feet, fighting the taskmasters the entire time. "I   
won't cower to you anymore," he growled. "I will look you in the eye because you;re not my master anymore,   
you;re nothing but a greedy slave owner, a worthless jatiirk who should be slaughtered, and your carcass thrown   
in the garbage!" 

"That is ENOUGH!" Blackmoor's fury had come to its boiling point as he unsheathed his blade and   
swiped furiously at Orion's face. Orion jerked his head back violently, avoiding what likely would have been a   
killing blow, but still took a serious gash across his face, which started to bleed profusely. Blackmoor touched   
the blade to Orion's throat. 

"Go ahead," Orion said, his voice low. "Kill me. I don't fear death anymore." That wasn't entirely true,   
but Orion had shown weakness in front of Blackmoor. he had shown subservience and terror, and was desperate   
to show none of those again. 

For a moment, Orion thought that he was going to do it, but then the jackal lowered his blade, and instead slammed his fist into Orion's face. 

Orion's head snapped backwards, and he kicked out at Blackmoor, but his captors slammed him back   
against the great tree once more, forcing his arms back around it as Blackmoor struck him again and again with   
his fists, until Orion as only half conscious. He cried out, but did not beg Blackmoor to stop. He would not do   
that ever again. 

When Blackmoor had spent his fury somewhat, he growled disgustedly for Monkrion and his men to   
chain Orion to the lower branch of the tree, which was low enough for the purpose. They did so, with Orion   
facing the tree, and stripping his shirt off and flinging them away. Orion hoped vaguely that they did not find   
the picture of Hintracrii in his pack, as that would certainly ensure her imprisonment. 

With Orion finally restained with a pair of shackles one of the taskmasters had, Blackmoor took out his   
whip, the same one that Orion remembered. Looking back over his shoulder, he had to force himself not to cringe at the sight of it, and only barely managed. But Blackmoor had seen the fear in his eyes. 

"So, you remember one thing, if nothing else, you piece of dung." 

"Jatasch ook," Orion growled back. Fuck you. 

Blackmoor narrowed his eyes. "I will just kill you here, Orion," he said. "And haul your body back and   
tear it apart when we get there." he smiled nastily. "I suspect that phiron helped your first escape attempt, you   
know that? maybe I will make him clean up the mess this time. Like Tamarin, eh? just clean up the trash." 

Orion jerked back on his bonds, suddenly fully conscious. "You keep Tamarin out of it, Blackmoor!   
how dare you speak of him?!" 

Blackmoor smirked, knowing he'd gotten to Orion. "Yes. i think i shall do that." And he drew his whip   
back and let it fall viscously on Orion's back. 

Orion could not help from crying out, although he tried, as the whip fell again and again, over his back   
and legs, and anywhere else that was exposed. Each time he screamed, he thought oh god, he really is going to   
kill me. But then wasn't that what he wanted? To die, rather than be imprisoned again? 

He was on the verge of passing out, when there was the whine of a flying vehicle overhead and suddenly   
laser fire rained down on eh party on the ground. monkrion and his men scattered, diving for weapons left in   
packs, while Blackmoor staggered backwards with a curse. The Mutants and Orion all looked up to see a Skycutter coming back around above the clearing, diving at them once more, guns blazing. 

One of monkrion's men shrieked and landed asprawl, the skin on his chest sizzling as the laser bolts   
seared through him. he was dead nearly instantly. Unnerved, the other two lowlings took off running as fast   
as they could while Blackmoor shouted a curse after them. 

once more, Orion could hear the Skycutter coming around. would it kill him too? Did the pilot even   
know he was there? 

"Get those fools back here, damn it!" Blackmoor snarled at Monkrion. And as the taskmaster ran   
after his subordinates, Orion suddenly realized who it was. it was Hyder! Hyder was strafing Blackmoor and his   
taskmasters, and once more was coming around for a pass. 

But by now, Blackmoor had gotten his own energy weapon from his traveling pack and was shooting up   
at the pilot. Hyder rose sharply into the air, narrowly avoiding being knocked from the 'cutter. As this went on,   
Orion was suddenly struggling to free himself form the restraints, straining to slip out of at least one of them.   
Finally, with a mighty heave, Orion heard (and felt) the bones in his hand snap as he pulled them through   
the shackle. he let out a strangled sounding cry, but extracted himself, nearly collapsing to the ground with   
pain and exhaustion. 

Hyder had come around once more, firing his fighter's guns at the black jackal, knocking him into the   
dirt with a grazing blow. As soon as he went down, Orion was on him. 

His anger gave him strength, and rained blows down on hi tormentor as then adrenaline coursed   
through his body like it was his own blood. With his good hand, and even his broken one as he was feeling no   
pain at this point, Orion hit Blackmoor until the jackal lay limp, unconscious in the dirt, and even then did not   
stop until he heard Hyder's warning cry. "They're coming back, get on, now!" 

Hyder had landed, and was coming at him, reaching out a hand to help him up. 

"No! Leave me lone! I'm gonna; kill him!" Orion cried, still trying to strike Blackmoor. 

Hyder cursed and wrestled Orion to the ground. "Stop...stop, please!" 

Hyder's hissed plea was enough to stop Orion's frenzied assault, and he twisted his head around to look   
at Hyder as if he'd never seen him before. 

When he was sure Orion wouldn't go ballistic again, Hyder slowly got up and helped the cat to his feet. 

"Come on...we've got to go, now. monkrion's gathered his men together again." 

Looking dazedly from the prone form of Blackmoor to Hyder's worried face, he let himself be led to   
the Skycutter, limping severely on one leg. 

Hyder grabbed Orion's backpack up from the ground, and said, "Falcon's with me, he's safe...I had to put   
him in the storage compartment so he wouldn't fall off." 

"Fall off..." Orion said, not resisting when Hyder urged him onto the Skycutter. He caught a glimpse of   
the aggravated cub when Hyder threw his pack on the storage bin. 

Once Orion was on, Hyder swung a leg over and lifted off, telling Orion to hold on tight. Orion did so,   
clinging to Hyder with his good arm, and was suddenly battling unconsciousness. It was only living so long in   
abusive conditions, and then in the harsh wilderness that had given him the stamina to stay awake thus far. but   
he was losing the battle. 

"Stay with me, Orion...I'm taking you somewhere I can get you some help. Just hang with me..." 

Barely aware they ere in the air, Orion hung on, unable to concentrate on anything else. 

Orion beating the hell out of Blackmoor after the jackal came very close to whipping him to death   
Fight 

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	42. Chapter 42

42 

It was fifteen minutes later when the Skycutter landed, and Orion slumped to the ground, his endurance   
at an end. He opened his eyes once to see a grouping of buildings that reminded his tired mind of Blackmoor's   
complex and felt a surge of panic go through his mind. Had Blackmoor captured him again? All he felt was   
pain; it was entirely possible. Had he dreamed it? Maybe he'd dreamed escaping, maybe he was still there. 

In a haze of pain, Orion blacked out.   
When next he came to himself, he had no idea whatsoever where he was, or when it was, or even how   
old he was. his mind was confused and dazed. The last thing he remembered was going into some kind of shock and passing out. He did not even remember why. 

Orion opened his eyes and found that he was lying, unbound, in a medium size room with five beds   
interspersed throughout it. He was lying on the sixth, Theree were cabinets and counters, and drawers. After a   
moment, he realized it was an infirmary, clean and comfortable. 

He looked down at himself, and saw the angry bruises on his skin from Blackmoor's fist, and the   
bandaging where Blackmoor's spiked boot had dug into his gut. For that matter, the bandages covered nearly his   
whole torso, nearly, and his legs. 

Falcon! Where was he? Orion sat up abruptly, and a wave of nausea and pain overcame him, and he   
blacked out once more. 

When next he opened his eyes, the pain had subsided a great deal, and he felt drowsy. this time he was   
not alone; Hyder sat in a chair in the room with Falcon lying at his side on the floor. When Hyder saw that   
Orion was awake, he smiled and stood up. "We worried about you," he said. "The medic saw you sit up then   
pass out again and called me...you've been out cold again for nearly a day now." 

Dazed, Orion said nothing. 

"They gave you a painkiller once they established that you were stablized...you feeling a lot of pain right   
now?" 

Consideriong, Orion shook his head, and very very slowly sat up. "N-no..." he said. "I..I'm drowsy, is   
all." he looked down at his splinted hand. "Who tended...where am I?" 

"Well...remember the organization i told you about? The one that's trying to change some things around   
here?" Hyder said. Orion nodded. "This is where we base ourselves. For now we've got to keep ourselves hidden, and those of us in the military need to hide our activities very carefully." 

"The...military base?" Orion was confused. 

"No, no, no. No way. This is the rebel base." Hyder grinned. "Not that we're actually rebelling yet, but still." 

Others...others knew he was here? Orion eyes widened as it dawned on him, and he turned to Hyder. "Who knows...who knows who I am?" he asked, a note of panic in his voice. 

"Easy, 'Rion...easy. It's all right, there's No one here that would turn you in. Most of us were   
slaves at one point or another." Orion's expression relaxed. "And besides," he added in a low tone, smiling   
grimly. "I don't think Blackmoor's in any condition to chase you down right now. If he doesn't die from the   
beating you gave him, and that knife wound...he's gonna be a while recovering." 

"The beating..." Orion looked confused for a moment, trying to force his stressed kind to remember   
what Hyder was talking about, and then, slowly, remembered his berzerker attack on Blackmoor, how he'd hit   
him until he felt he couldn't do it anymore. he looked amazed. "I...I did that..." 

Hyder nodded. "Oh, yeah." 

Orion looked up t Hyder, suddenly remembering everything that had happened. "You...you saved my ass   
yet again, Hyder," he said to his older friend. "I...I don't; know how to thank—" 

Hyder held up a hand. "Forget it...are you kidding, Orion? It was worth it to take my potshots at those   
sadistic bastards." Hyder growled and slammed his fist into his other hand. "And to see you beating the shit out   
of Blackmoor, to see the blood coming from his mouth." He turned his fierce grin on Orion. "If the others knew about what you did, they'd give you a standing ovation." 

Orion smiled, and then nodded. "Well thanks anyway, Hyder." he looked up, suddenly sad. "I'll never   
forget you, you know." 

Hyder also became serious and drew his friend into a careful embrace. "And I won't forget you, hektii.   
Never." 

Orion closed his eyes at the old word, which Hyder had spoken only once...but Orion and Hyder had   
never forgotten it. It was a word spoken rom the heart, and words like that only needed to be spoken once to   
remain in the memory. 

"Get some rest, Orion. I'll check up on you later...I'm sure that Falcon will keep you company. I'd advise against letting him jump on you when hew akes though." he chuckled, and left the room. 

Orion spent the next two days recovering long enough for Orion to be able to walk around on his own.   
Hyder came in and talked with him while the medics checked Orion's' bandages and disinfected his wounds.   
He hated that, as all he could think of was Monkrion scrubbing viscously at the whip lashes with the harsh disinfectant...but the painkiller held the pain at bay. 

On the fourth day, after a day of unconsciousness and two of recovery, Hyder came in looking grim. 

"I'm surprised. They're looking for you still in the city, Orion...and even elsewhere. I guess Blackmoor was too   
important a figure to be messing so badly with...and they know that there's a Mutant helping you." 

"Is he dead?" Orion said, sounding hopeful. 

Hyder shook his head. "I don't know...I can't find out anything about him. He's not still there, but that's   
about all I know. We need to get you off the planet though. Today's the last day that I have off, but there are   
some people here who can teach you how to fly the ship while I am not here. I'll be coming every day after I'm   
off duty, though. 

Orion bit his lip. 

"You well enough to come start learning?" 

Orion nodded, carefully sliding off the bed. Once out of the bed sheets, he remembered that he was nude. 

Hyder chuckled and tossed him a spare set of overalls from one of the closets. They were light and comfortable.   
"Put these on. You'll blend in title better and your other clothing was ripped up." 

Orion nodded, carefully putting the clothing on and wincing when he got it on all the way. Clothing... 

"Where's my pack?" he asked, Hyder. Was it still in the clearing?" 

"It's in the ship, I grabbed it before we left...come on, I'll show you it." 

With a trace of the eagerness he and Hyder used to feel when going out to look for new parts and seeing   
some neat new vehicle or another, Orion followed Hyder to the hangar. 

As the hyena had said, it was nothing fancy, but it had been fixed up, and was ready to be driven. 

And Orion was ready to learn. 

Over the next few days, Orionw as given a crash course in flying. he was taught how to use the radio   
and the automatic pilot, which would take care of most of the journey. He was taught to take off, and how to   
land, practicing in a simulator they had on base, that could be programmed with any kind of ship they needed.   
Orion had had a problem with the little thing, but had forced himself inside, knowing how imperative it was for   
him to learn how to fly. 

He'd healed a great deal in that time, and only his worst injuries and his hand were still bandaged. The   
medics had given him a paper with instructions on how to check and change his bandages, in terms simple enough for Orion to read easily. 

Finally, he had learned all that they could teach him in so short a time...and he was ready to take off. 

With Falcon, Orion's pack, and a full stock of supplies board ship, Orion and Hyder stood alone in eh   
hangar, looking at each other. Orion looked down at the ground. "Well.." he said, biting his lip.   
Hyder nodded. "Yeah." 

Theree was an uncomfortable silence as each tried to think of something to say, to say goodbye to his   
best friend. "I..." Orion stammered. "I guess it's time to go." it was nighttime, better to not be seen in the   
atmosphere. The top of the hangar was opened, and the stars shone in the sky. The sounds outside reminded   
Orion of when he and Hyder had simply sat in the rare times when they had the leisure and just watched the stars, dreaming of being anywhere but Plundaar, until the taskmasters yelled for them to get the hell inside. 

"I guess so," Hyder whispered and drew Orion close. 

Not able to help it any longer, Orion wept quietly as he embraced the Mutant, and wondered if he would   
ever see him again. "I'll never forget you, Hyder," he whispered, not letting go. Hyder didn't seem to want him   
to, either. "Never. You're the only reason that I did not lose my mind all those years. You were the only   
one I could completely trust, with anything." 

Orion could tell that Hyder was crying, too, as he nodded his head. "Same here, Orion...same here." he   
pulled away finally and looked at his friend. "We went through hell together, Orion, and we helped each other   
through it. I can't forget that." 

Orion nodded. 

"Please...be careful. All right?" Hyder went on. "I don't think I could stand it if I found out you'd been   
shot down." 

Orion nodded shakily. "I will, Hyder, I swear. You too. I-I mean...don't go getting caught and killed or   
anything..." 

"I won't. You'd...you better go, all right, Orion? if you don't...it's just gonna get harder and harder to   
go." he sighed. "And for me to let you." 

Orion nodded and turned around slowly to get into the ship, and turned once more to look at his friend   
one more time before he left.   


"I'll look you up, Orion, count on it." 

The Thunderian nodded, waved...and closed the door. 

Chapter 43 

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	43. Chapter 43

43 

As the door closed, leaving Orion in tight, inky blackness, he fought the urge to panic. Closing his eyes,   
he fumbled with the controls on the ship's console to turn on the lights. It was a four man ship, with room for   
two to sit in the cockpit, and for two to sleep. There was a tiny bathroom with a chemical commode, and it actually had artificial gravity. 

Hyder had shown him the whole ship. The sleeping quarters were comprised of one room with two bunks. That, he could stand up in, which was bearable. Kind of like his cell back at Blackmoor's. 

Of course now that he'd made that comparison, he wasn't so sure about enduring it for so long.   
The bathroom was barely large enough to sit in, with antiseptic wipes, and a chemical shower. Food   
was stored in the sleeping room, in a cabinet, where the unperishables were stocked. There ws a reservoir of   
water that would last for two weeks if need be on the bare minimum for he and Falcon, and Orion could live   
easily on a bare minimum. Falcon he would feed more. He was only a cub. 

His pack and companion in the "bedroom," Orion took a big breath and opened his eyes.   
Immediately, without even thinking, he began to fumble with the door handle, fighting to get out, before   
mastering himself and sitting back again with his eyes close. He couldn't move! It was too small, too cramped,   
he was restrained! 

No...no he was just sitting down, of his own accord...and he was going to get back to Thundera.   
but did he really want to? At least on plundaar he had a chance of talking to Hyder. On Thundera he   
had no one. 

But the incident with Blackmoor had taught him that he was no longer safe here. Blackmoor would pursue him to the ends of the planet. 

With a great sigh, Orion turned on the ship. All right...got that part out of the way. Now; taking off. 

Back at the edge of the hangar, Hyder had been wondering if Orion had lost his nerve, or could not   
remember how to get the blasted thing on. But after a few minutes, the ship started, and began to rise clumsily   
in the air. 

The hyena felt a little amused as he watched Orion wobble uncertainly for a while before rising a bit   
higher. He dropped a bit, then rose. Hyder laughed a little bit. Poor Orion. He always tried so hard, but there   
had always been a cub-like awkwardness bout him, ever since Hyder knew him. 

But finally Orion did get into the air, and seemed to be a little better once he got the hang of the ship.   
Hyder waved, as the ship began to switch from takeoff to flight. "Good-bye, Orion,' he whispered. "I hope you   
find what you need." 

Orion had the distinct feeling that Hyder was laughing at him. Whether it was paranoia from knowing   
Hyder too well, or a kind of mental bond from his friendship with him, he knew either way. 

At least, he'd gotten into the air, and was now taking off. He tried waggligng the ship's wings like Hyder had done, and nearly crashed. He didn;t try again. 

Orion studied and studied the star maps that Hyder had put in just in case, and could make neither heads   
nor tails of it. Automatic pilot. He squinted at the piece of paper Hyder had given him, which had on it the   
code he had to punch in after takeoff for the auto pilot. Carefully, he copied the numbers and letters onto the   
computer's console, and then hit the autopilot button. 

There was a slight shift, which made Orion nervous, and then the autopilot took over, and the stick began moving itself. Fully relieved, Orion struggled out of his seat and bolted for the bedroom. 

Once there, he took great gulps of recycled air, forcing to calm himself. he had to keep an eye on the   
scanners. If someone found him and tried to stop him...he would have to take over. but he could see the console from the door of the bedroom, and there he would stay. 

Falcon jumped up anxiously onto Orion's leg, looking up at him. It had been such a different day for the   
cub, and so much had happened lately. The violence, the fighting, the blood. he had run to where he heard Hyder and   
his Skycutter when Orion was attacked, and it was this that made Hyder think something was wrong. In essence,   
the cub had saved Orion's life as much as Hyder had. but he had seem little of Orion since then, and now the cat   
picked Falcon up and pet him, telling him is was all right. 

Falcon whimpered and nuzzled Orion's face, and then decided Orion needed a good lick down. 

Orion laughed a little bit. "Hey, easy there. We're...we're gonna be all right." After a few moments he   
set Falcon back down and winced, putting a hand to his side. Blackmoor had hurt him, hurt him badly. Few   
broken ribs, his hand, few cracked bones, but the most damage was taken from the whip. Before Hyder had   
been able tog et to Orion, Blackmoor had struck him too many times for him to have been able to keep count.   
Viscous, rapid blows. Blackmoor intended to kill Orion that day, and had come very close to doing it. 

Orion still hurt. but he could not take a painkiller yet, or it would make him sick. Two hours. That was   
all right though, he could handle pain, and he would be home in a week. 

Home. but was it really home anymore? Plundaar had, sadly, become his home. It was what he knew, what he was used to. Would he miss it? 

This startling question rose in Orion's mind. Ever since the Mutant raid on his town, he had longed,   
sometimes so badly that it physically hurt his chest to think about it, to go back to Thundera, to be back with his   
parents. To see the sun, and the sky change from blue to orange. To see the domed buildings in the city, and   
maybe even the Cats' lair. His father had taken him to see it once, which he barely remembered. he didn't even know what it looked like, only that he'd loved it. 

But now? would he miss the odd orange of the Plundaarian sky? The alien perspective of the   
constellations? The little red disk in the sky that was the sun, and almost looked as though you could snatch it   
out of the sky and play catch with it? Would he miss the tall, willowy rubbertrees and the squat dwarf trees that   
had at one point been thought to be a kind of grass? Would he miss the odd creatures and the colorful cities and   
festivals? 

Were there festivals in Thundera? 

He just did not know. Growling at himself for having these second thoughts, he deliberately slammed   
backwards into a wall, and nearly cried out at the jolt of searing pain that came with it. He was sure he'd broken   
some of the not quite healed lashes open, but he didn't care. The pain cleared his mind, made him remember   
exactly why he could not stay. Made him remember that the person he was the most terrified of would hunt   
him down and kill him. 

Panting, he closed his eyes and sat on the bunk. "All right..." he whispered. "Better now." At least he   
could walk among his people without covering his face, without being terrified someone would realize he was   
different. 

The ship was approaching the atmosphere, now, and an indicator light flashed, just like in the   
simulators. Watching carefully, chewing on his lip, Orion snapped on the tiny viewscreen and watched it   
carefully. So far so good...but why was it taking so long, blast it! he was not sure he could take the tension,   
waiting every second to be discovered, or shot down, or to hear an angry voice over the radio telling him he'd   
better submit to being caught by their tractor beam or he'd be in trouble. 

But as the seconds, then minutes passed, none of these things happened, and Orion was beginning to   
think he would actually get away with this. With no identifying marks, no serial numbers, he doubted they would even give him a second glance. 

He hoped. 

But as the ship made it into orbit, and then into space without so much as a murmur from the patrolling   
carriers, Orion nearly cried with relief. "I-i th-think we did it, falcon...' Orion said, sitting on the floor. "We're   
gonna make it." 

Orion was startled by some other similar personal vehicles crossing the scanners' line of sight, but they,   
like him, were only leaving the planet for business or vacation. Orion wasn't sure which he was on; maybe a combination of both, but either way, they had made it. 

Orion crept over to the bunk and lay down on it on his back, closing his eyes and shaking with relief. 

Falcon jumped up to lie down on this convenient pillow, and Orion stroked his fur with his unbroken hand.   
now that the immediate danger was over, Orion's thoughts once again strayed, but this time they were in   
a much more constructive way. he was thinking of the fight with Blackmoor. He'd fought him on equal terms,   
not with one in chains, the other armed. it had been face to face, adult to adult, and Orion had come damn near   
close to killing Blackmoor, he was sure of this. only because of his goon squad had Orion been subdued. 

And even then, he thought grimly, I did NOT submit. I did not cower in front of him and knelt only   
because my legs were kicked under me. Orion smiled. He had not begged, he had not flinched. He had cried   
his defiance and told Blackmoor exactly what he was; a cowardly, murdering, worthless piece of dung that didn't deserve to live. 

Orion was not naive enough to think that this might be enough to keep Blackmoor out of his hair. It   
would not make the jackal respect him. if anything, Blackmoor hated Orion even more, and that was another   
reason he could not stay. But it was good for Orion's spirit, his heart, his will. Yes. And that was enough. 

He did not realize that he had fallen asleep, but he had been wakened by a dream where Hyder did not   
come, that the Skycutter did not come tearing through the woods to scatter the guards and give him   
opportunity to escape. in this dream Blackmoor kept hitting him, hitting him until just like before he began to   
scream, and began to beg for it to stop. 

But Blackmoor did not stop. He struck, and struck, until Orion's mind ws nothing but a haze of pain and   
blood...and he was getting smaller. Smaller, and he could feel the cold metal of shackles wrapping around his   
hands and feet, smell the familiar smells of the slave discipline room, hear the screams of Hyder beside him... 

Orion had wakened screaming. Falcon, startled out of his wits, had also wakened, and run around the   
room a few times in frightened confusion. 

The Thunderian looked wildly around the little room. Bunks...a cupboard... A dream. It had been a   
dream... his entire life had been turned upside down once more, that was to be expected. 

Wiping tears and sweat from his face, he went over to the water tap and poured himself a glass and   
Falcon a bowl, and tried to calm his jazzed nerves. It was only a dream. 

Once he was calm, Orion poked his head into the cockpit to see what might be on the little viewscreen.   
nothing, for now. The planet of PLundaar receded in the distance, and Orion's face broke out into a smile that   
was both sad and excited. He was finally going back to Thundera...but he was leaving the life he knew. he was   
scared. 

But it was a good fear. he was scared of the unknown, of what might happen once he was back on   
Thundera. He was nervous about a change. A good change, but a big change. This kind o fear he didn't mind. 

"Come on, Falcon, let's get something to eat." 

But as the hours passed, Orion began to get restless. He saw it was late enough to be able to take his   
painkillers and did so, washing them down with a drink that was made from water and fruit juices. he had a   
hardy stock of that too, which was good. He would not need as much water, and could give more to Falcon,   
who couldn't drink the fruit juice. It would make him sick. he looked through the supplies that Hyder had   
given him and was pleasantly surprised at the variety of things he had given him. Thanking Hyder silently, and   
hoping that he would see him again alive and well, Orion shut the cabinet door. 

Now what? Orion tried to sit down and read (or rather painfully sound out) the hyena books, and even   
took a stab at the one that Hintracrii had given him, and frowned. There had only been one photo in this book;   
now there were two. One was Hintracrii, the other Hyder as a child, even younger than Orion remembered him.   
Hyder must have put it in there. Biting his lip, fighting a sudden longing to be a child again with Hyder   
next to him in this ship, he turned it over to see if he had written on his as well. He had not, but upon further   
searching found a letter written on parchment. 

Slowly he read aloud; 

_Dear Orion,_

_I hope you're not mad at me for looking through your stuff, but I kinda had no choice._   
_They're all paranoid here about hidden weapons and spies and stuff, and it's procedure. Talk about paranoid._   
_but anyway, I saw the picture and read it, and remembered when you were sent there. I figured I would do the_   
_same thing._

_This is a picture of me from about three months before my former master sold me to_   
_Blackmoor. I told you a bit about him; he was a decent man, and kind to me. As close to a father as I ever had._

_I ran into him a few months after we escaped, I told you that, didn't I? He was visiting_   
_family on Plundaar. He gave me this picture, which he had kept with him. I was kind of flattered. I told him_   
_what we'd gone through, and he was horrified, said he never would have sold me to Blackmoor if he'd known._   
_he's the kind that will someday realize how wrong slavery is and stamp it out._

_Someday._

_Anyway, by the time you see this I hope you're happily situated on Thundera, watching_   
_them retrieve bras in scavenger hunts._

If Orion was not much mistaken, the picture had been wet a tiny bit on the back there, and Orion strongly suspected Hyder had cried when he wrote this. Orion felt like doing it himself. 

_And if not yet...well hang on, you'll get there. you always did bounce back, and I_   
_admired your courage more than you can know. you'll do fine on Thundera, and save me a bunk...'cause when I can, I am coming down to see how you've done._

_Take care, hektii...I will always remember you, and love you like a brother._

_Hyder._

Orion bit his lip and looked down. Frowning, he saw there was yet another picture, and gasped.   
"T-Tamarin..." On further inspection, he saw that this one was computer generated, and read the back. There   
was a brief note saying that he had gotten into Blackmoor's computer system and grabbed the picture; he had   
files on all his slaves. Orion and Hyder's were there too, and Orion recognized the "wanted" poster pictures,   
and had to laugh. It was a bit of an irony, he thought. 

Smiling, he placed the carefully back into the pages of the book, and put it away in his pack. "I...I'm   
gonna try and get some rest, Falcon," he told the cub. "You be good." Falcon did remind him of Hyder, natrually...had the same tendency to calm him down when he needed it too, for that matter. 

And he lay down. 

The days passed, and Orion's optimistic mood swung from being hopeful to a feeling of trepidation.   
What if the Mutants had control of Thundera? But no, Hyder said they hadn't even really fought for five years;   
it was more like a cold war. What if they didn't let him land? But then why wouldn't they? 

And then there was the lack of things to do, the inability to run, or to climb, things he often did in the   
woods when he was feeling tense. Anything but little bitty rooms, closing in all around him. 

"No!" he'd growled aloud once, startling both him and Falcon, "Stop thinking like that, damn it, you'll go crazy." And he had gone to try and sleep once more. 

But the ship, now in deeper space, was able to go faster, and the auto pilot did carry its passengers ever   
closer to Thundera. one day when he got up, not knowing if it was day or night from the chronometer on the   
console, Orion's eyes widened. "Look! Falcon look!" What had been a dot too small to be noticed, not even as   
it grew while the other dots did not, was a tennis ball sized circle that could only be Thundera. "I-it's...it's   
Thundera..." now, close enough to see it, he actually braved the cramped cockpit long enough to gaze at the   
orange-ish ball, biting his lip. So close...he could see his home! Something that had almost been just a myth for   
so long, right here in front of him! 

An excitement greater almost than he could stand coursed through his mind, and he hugged the hyena   
cub when he jumped into Orion's lap. 

Once he began noticing the planet, he noticed it grew steadily bigger, and bigger. In a couple of days,   
they would be there. 

Chapter 44 

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	44. Chapter 44

44 

The next time that Orion was woken up, it was not by anything so gradual as his body simply waking   
from sleep, or pleasant as Falcon nudging him because he wanted to play. It was by a horrible jolt that had Orion wondering for a moment where he was. 

And then he heard the squawk of the radio, and a flash which meant someone wanted him to answer it. 

Panic surged through his mind. What was going on? Had the Mutants caught him? 

WHAM! Another jolt sent the ship on its end before the autopilot righted it. he saw another flash on   
the console now, indicating they were only a few hours away from orbit. 

But apparently there was someone who didn't want him to land. it couldn't be the Mutants, not this close   
to Thundera. 

Could it? 

At yet another jolt that seemed like it must break the ship apart, Orion lunged over the seats to grab the   
radio and switch it on. immediately an angry voice issued from it. "This is your last warning! Acknowledge   
and stop your approach or you'll be shot down!" 

Orion gaped, openmouthed, at the voice. Was this a Thunderian? He didn't sound right; didn't sound   
normal. 

"H-h-hold on!" he cried. his stutter worse in his moment of fear. "I-I-I'll stop!" He nearly threw   
himself into the seat and shut off the autopilot. Immediately it became clear that a beginner was flying as the   
ship began to shake. but he stooped getting closer to the planet. Hyder had shown him how to fly the thing, how   
to work its controls in space in case he was caught going out. But Orion never thought he would need to do   
the same thing coming in. 

"It's about time, Mutant. You had better have a damned good reason for intruding on Thunderian space.   
And I warn you, if you make any aggressive actions, we'll shoot you out of the sky." 

Orion swallowed hard as the strange voice threatened him. "I-I..." he started to say, the ship wobbling   
worse since he had to take one hand off the controls to be able to talk on the radio. Wait a minute, what had the   
voice called him? A Mutant! Orion nearly smacked his forehead as he realized what a moron he'd   
been. Of course the Thunderian thought he was a Mutant, he was in a Mutant ship, and he was sure they had   
ways of finding out where he'd just come from. 

Plundaar. 

"W-w-wait a minute, I'm not a Mutant," he said into the radio. In the background he heard the voice   
say, apparently to someone else, something about him sounding like a jackal. He had to set the radio down for a   
moment to bring the craft under control again, before picking it up. "I-I'm not, though...I;m THunderian!" It felt   
odd to say that. 

But to Orion's amazement, there was laughter. "You Mutants think so low of us that we'd believe that,   
do you? I'm bringing you aboard, and we'll see what your tale is then." There was a click, and Orion strongly   
suspected that they had broken the connection. An icy fear was slowly making its way through his body. What   
if they didn't believe him? What if they shot him out of the air? he'd not thought of this when planning to   
leave the planet, and Hyder apparently had not either. he didn't have enough fuel to go anywhere else, would   
they send him away? Worse, would they send him back to Plundaar? 

In a panic, he tried to raise them again on the radio, but he didn't know if they really had left, or if he   
was just doing it wrong. At any rate, he could not get through. 

Falcon, worried and tense as well, ran back and forth in the bedroom to express his nervousness. Orion   
hardly noticed. 

A moment later, a sharp jolt hit the ship, not like the stun warning they'd hit him with earlier, but it felt   
almost like a giant hand had grabbed the ship and stopped it short. A tractor beam? Was this what it felt like? 

And sure enough, as he glanced at the little viewscreen, he was going backwards, not forward. 

At least they were not shooting him out of the air, he thought, trying to calm himself. but there was no   
stopping the fear. He was so close...almost home, and was being detained. By...Thunderians, he assumed. he   
hoped. 

Did anyone else live on Thundera? snarfs...but he highly doubted it was a Snarf. All Snarfs he'd ever   
heard had high pitched voices with strange accents. 

Orion's wondering was cut short as he realized he was being drawn into a hangar where a few ships   
were clamped down, and bright lights flooded the area. he had to squint as the doors shut against the bright   
light, having gotten used to the dim ones of the ship, and of Plundaar. bright Lights were something he rarely   
saw there. 

His ship set down, and there was a loud hiss that even he could hear from inside the ship. Putting air   
and pressure back into the chamber, he thought suddenly, remembering what Phiron had told them about large   
ships that docked smaller ones. So that people could enter the chamber to get to their ships. 

He gulped and glanced at the door, where now he heard shots, and people running. He was shaking,   
both in anticipation of seeing his first free Thunderian in over ten years, and with fear of what they would do to   
him. 

"Get that door open!" he heard someone shout. 

Orion would have opened the door himself, except there was a blast, the shop rocked, and the door blew   
open by itself, the steps falling out to clunk to the ground. Nearly cowering behind the seats, he heard a voice   
outside bark, "Get out, Mutant. If we have to go in after you, you'll be sorry."   
his manner of speaking was so like Monkrion's that Orion almost cringed, and was almost afraid not   
to do as he'd said! Would his own people... 

No. No, he told himself, a Thunderian would never torture another one. 

Would they? 

At the unseen voice's second command to get out, slowly, and with his hands up in the air or   
else...Orion bit his lip and slowly began to creep out of the ship. 

There were a dozen soldiers outside the door, dressed in the alien garb of the Thunderian guard. All of   
them had blaster rifles aimed at him as he stepped shakily out, his hands held at his shoulders. he had a look of   
terror on his face as he stepped out, looking from face to face, watching their grips on their weapons tighten. 

A few looked shocked, some did not change their expressions at all. One turned to a man standing   
behind them and said something in a language that Orion did not understand, and with a pang of sorrow, realized   
it was Thunderian. A vague memory of his parents speaking it went through his mind, then faded. He had only   
known some of it, since Thunderian children usually weren't taught the language until they ere older, as it was   
complex and difficult. 

Orion remembered none of it. 

He stopped once he'd reached the bottom step, wanting so much to go back into the ship. And wasn't   
that a laugh? him, wanting to go back into a small area... but he felt very vulnerable. Very. 

He wore Plundaarian clothing of course, both breeches and top which were ripped, as he'd worn them in   
the woods. he had a few items that Hyder had given him, including the jumpsuit, but he'd worn his comfortable   
clothing until he got to Thundera. he had intended to wear the ones without rips before landing. 

"So..." The man who had stood at the end of the V of soldiers stepped forward between the two lines   
toward Orion, his eyes narrowed. Orion was so intimidated by this point that he involuntarily stepped   
backwards, tripping over the bottom step and falling over backwards onto them, and then to the floor. Every   
one of the soldiers, some male some female, some old some young, shifted their guns to be kept trained on him   
at the sudden move. But none fired, yet, and who Orion assumes was their...commander or whatever was carefully staying out of their line of fire just in case. 

Spooked, Orion scrambled backwards, almost under the ship, as the commander approached. "Get up,"   
he said coldly, backing up a little so that Orion could. 

Get a hold of yourself, Orion told himself savagely. You stood up to Blackmoor for plundaar's sake! He   
stood, still keeping as far as he could from the commander. 

The commander, who was a breed of cat that Orion couldn't distinguish, looked him over. "Get your   
hands up,' he said mildly, and Orion did. He was very unnerved by so many weapons being pointed at him. "I   
don't need you going for your dagger." He reached out, making Orion flinch, and took in deftly from its   
sheath. he looked it over, and then tossed it aside, looking back at Orion. "Do you even understand what I'm   
saying to you?" he said. 

Orion nodded. "Y-yes...I-I understand Basic," he said, and bit his lip. "Wh-what did I do wrong?" 

The commander raised his eyes. "Nothing, yet. But you come unannounced into Thunderian space,   
don't answer the radio until we threaten to blast you into space, sound as much a plundaarian as any Mutant I've   
met..." he shook his head and backed off a bit. 

"B-but I..." 

"Quiet,' the commander said quietly, cutting Orion off. He turned to one of the soldiers and said in   
basic, so that Orion could understand, "Bind him. Take him to one of the interrogation cells. We'll see who   
and what he is there." 

Interrogation? No...they wouldn't... Interrogation to him meant pain. But he tried not to fight when two   
of the soldiers put their weapons away and moved forward to roughly bind Orion's arms behind him. The cat   
closed his eyes and tired not to panic, tired to cooperate... 

Suddenly his eyes widened, and he tried to turn around. Thinking he was fighting, the soldiers slammed   
him into the ship, making Orion cough, while they bound his hands. "M-my p-pet,' he said, substituting 'pet' at   
the last minute for 'companion' he wanted them to know it wasn't some other guy waiting to jump them. "H-he's in there...please don't hurt him..." he spoke this as they started shoving him out of the hangar and towards a door that led into the rest of the ship. 

"He'll be fine inside for a few hours,' the commander said, looking coldly at the retreating cat. he   
closed up the ship. his people could look it over later, and he'd get someone who could deal with animals in   
here to take care of the creature. if it was deemed no threat to the general population, h would not be harmed. 

Otherwise they were going to have to get clearance to put it down. 

Chapter 45 

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	45. Chapter 45

45 

Orion was taken to a smallish room with only a chair with straps on it, a desk, and a chair behind that. 

They sat him down roughly in the strapped chair and began to tie him in. 

At this, Orion snapped, and stood abruptly up. he had a severe aversion to being bound in any way shape   
or form, and understandably so. The soldiers fought him back down, forcing him to sit, and strapped him in.   
"No!" Orion cried, losing control of his fear. "No, don't bind me in!" 

But the soldiers paid him no mind as they finished, making sure he could not get loose, and left.   
The commander, who was actually of the lion clan, with a short buzz cut to his mane, watched the   
security camera in the interrogation room. he hadn't fought until they'd tried to bind him in. maybe he'd had   
plans for escape, and being bound had thwarted them. or maybe he was trying to cooperate for whatever   
reason, but something made him snap at last, unable to do so any longer? Conditioning, or maybe even his fear   
getting the better of him. His arms were still behind him, only there was a strap around his chest and arms now. 

The cat seemed quite young, barely out of his teens, if at all. He was breathing rapidly, trying to control   
his fear, it seemed. Lionthrar had to admit, he didn't seem like the kind who would be a spy. Plundaarians did   
not usually tolerate weakness. but still... it was obvious the cat had been on Plundaar a very long time, as he   
was indistinguishable, accent wise, from any Mutant. he had come in on a Plundaarian military ship. Granted it   
was about ten years old and had no markings, but still. 

And the cat did not seem to know how to fly it. Very odd. 

Well he would get no answers standing around here, it was time to go and question the feline. 

Orion looked up, trying not to look as terrified as he felt, as Lionthrar entered the room, looking grim.   
The commander sat down behind his desk, his hands clasped on top of it, and simply looked at Orion for a   
moment. "What's your name?" he finally asked, pushing some kind of button under the desk. A low hum   
emanated from it, and Orion frowned in confusion. "Recording this of course." He smiled humorlessly. "For   
the records. Tell me your name." 

Orion flashed back to his first week on Plundaar, when Blackmoor had smacked him each time he   
would not give his name. Orion shook his head, growling mentally at himself to stop thinking about Blackmoor. "O-Orion," he stammered. 

"Clan name? Thunderian name?" 

Orion blinked at the first question, and realized with a sudden deep sorrow that he didn't know his clan   
name; he had forgotten it. "I..." he whispered, "I...'ve forgotten it." 

"Forgotten it?" 

Orion nodded, biting his lip. "I don't think I had a Thunderian one..." 

For now, the commander let that go. "What IS your clan, cat?" 

Orion shrugged. "D-don't really have one... I've got so many different breeds in me..." 

The commander nodded once more. "Very convenient, not remembering your name, having no clan. Makes for difficult identification." 

He ignored the look of half indignation, and half shame on the cat's face and continued. "Where were you born?" 

"O-on Thundera. I don't remember the town." Suddenly being quizzed on all of this, Orion was saddened to realize how little he remembered of Thundera. how much his mind had blocked out during the course of his enslavement. 

"I see. How old are you?" 

"T-twenty." 

Ho long were you on Plundaar? You talk just like them." 

Orion felt a blush of shame rising in his cheeks, and he knew why, too. he had just realized during the   
trip here that her was more Plundaarian than Thunderian now. "S-Since I was five." he whispered. 

"And what are you doing here on Thundera?" 

At this, Orion looked up at the man in shocked surprise at the question. Why had he come to Thundera?   
Did the commander think he wanted to be on Plundaar? Surely he didn't think he was on their side! But even as he thought this, he wondered. After al, he had more Plundaarian friends than Thunderian. "I...I wanted...to come home," he finally said. 

"Really. So you moved there when you were five, then? Just when the fighting started here, how coincidental. So. your parents were stationed there, were they? Who are you spying for, then, now that you're old enough to be in the military?" 

At this, Orion absolutely gaped at Lionthrar. Spy? Parents stationed? Military? He actually thought   
that Orion was a spy, that his parents were traitors! The cat felt a hot anger rise in his cheeks. "They were not   
stationed!" he said, the first words of anger he'd spoken the whole time. The commander only looked mildly at   
him, having been trained far too well to look surprised. 

"Then where are they?" he asked in a tone of polite curiosity. 

"Probably dead!" Orion felt tears in his eyes and blinked them furiously away. he had waited, more than   
a decade, wished more than anything during his childhood, prayed every night to be back on Thundera. And   
now that he was here, they treated him like no more than the enemy, a prisoner! There was no difference! 

"And why do you think that?" Lionthrar went on calmly, making sure the recorder was working., 

Orion willed himself to at least speak rationally, and only managed a furious growl. "Our town was   
attacked," he said, clenching his fists behind him. That day he would never forget, not as long as he lived.   
The fires, the laughter. The pain and the fear. The terror he'd felt when he was torn from his father and carried   
away. "The filthy Mutants attacked my village, burning houses...shooting people, right in the streets!" 

The commander only nodded and waited for Orion to finish. He was only too glad to oblige. 

"They took my parents! They took them, and I never saw them again." 

"And...you were not taken with them?" 

"No." Orion's teeth were clenched as he further fought to calm down. Finally, he managed a civilized   
level of speech, and went on. "They took me to a different ship." 

Lionthrar raised hi brows and sat back in his chair, which looked a good deal more comfortable than the   
one Orion was in. "Where were you taken then?" 

"To Plundaar." Orion suddenly found himself unwilling to say he'd been made into a slave. He was   
ashamed of that. 

"And why was that?" the commander said. Maybe this Thunderian would rat himself out, if he let him   
talk. He seemed very much an amateur. 

Orion sighed and slumped back in the chair, at least as far as he could. "Don't you get it/" he said to   
them. "I was taken prisoner I'm sure you know what Plundaarians do with their war prisoners, they're   
either sent into death camps, killed outright...or enslaved." his face began to burn red as he said it, and he was   
trying to keep any memory of that day out of his mind. He bit his lip yet again, vaguely noticing it was bleeding. "I was enslaved," he said, turning his face away to stare at the wall. 

"Indeed..." A slave. Perhaps he was doing this to earn his freedom then? that is if he was a slave at   
all. They would need to go through this with him a few more times, have him take a few lie detecting tests, maybe some truth serum. 

The commander asked a few more questions, things like how he had gotten a hold of the ship., and how   
he'd gotten away to steal such a ship. When Orion said he'd escaped long ago, he asked how long, and how. 

Orion told him of his and Hyder's escape. 

The commander was a little skeptical at this information. he knew of Blackmoor, and knew he was a   
sadistic bastard that Lionthrar's people wanted bad. he also knew of his reputation for keeping his prisoners.   
Few escaped from there, especially not two children. 

But for now he said nothing, only continued his interrogation. 

When Orion got to the part about "a friend" helping hi get the old ship, which was about to be put to auction   
anyway, Lionthrar nodded. "Who?" he asked. 

But Orion refused to answer that. He did not want to get Hyder into any trouble, even the chance of   
getting him into trouble was unacceptable. 

Lionthrar narrowed his eyes. "He was Thunderian, though?" 

Orion shook his head. "No, he was Plundaarian.. A Mutant." 

Lionthrar growled, standing up and slamming his hands into the desk. "You are working with them   
then, you miserable traitor!" he snarled. 

Orion flinched out of reflex, as if Lionthrar was going to hit him, but he did not. "I-I am not!" he said,   
frustrated. "He helped me because we're friends!" 

The lion looked disgusted. "'Friends'," he said. "A cat that makes friends with a Mutant is a traitor,   
cat." 

It was Orion's turn to growl. "They are not!" he said. "Just unbiased." he narrowed his eyes. 

The commander leaned forward and said, in a low, deliberate tone, "Are you calling me a bigot, cub,"   
he said, emphasizing the word "cub". 

"O-only if you think that all of Plundaar is the enemy," Orion stammered, not taking his eyes off of the   
commander. Seeing that he was only angering the cat, Orion sighed in sheer frustration. "We were best friends   
in childhood!" he said. 

"Ha! And there's a discrepancy right there. You said you'd been enslaved as a young child." 

"I was," Orion said quietly. "And so was he. We went through the whole thing together, he's the one I   
escaped with, damn it!" 

The commander stared at Orion, settling back once more, his expression unreadable. In truth, he was   
mulling everything over. He hated traitors with a passion, but was this young Thunderian a traitor? Or   
simply someone who had been taken as a child and learned Plundaarian ways more than the ways of his own   
people? The cat seemed to yo-yo between fear and timidity, and defiance and anger. Both were laced with uncertainty. 

Finally, he spoke. "You will be put in a cell, cat," he said. "Until we determine if you're lying or not.   
Your belongings, if any, will be kept until we do decide...if you are as you say you are, they will be given back.   
If not, then you really won't be needing them." 

Orion bit his lip, and said nothing. 

"You fight me, and you'll regret it,' Lionthrar added as he stood and began undoing the straps that held   
Orion to the chair. 

Orion had no intentions of fighting, since the commander was taking the straps off of him. he watched, shying away a little bit, as the commander finished, and pulled him to his feet. 

Lionthrar frowned, noticing Orion's limp for the first time, and once his full attention was on his   
prisoner, saw that there was some blood spreading on the clothing on his back. he frowned. "Did my men do   
that?" he said, poking insensitively at the blood. 

Orion winced at the commander prodded a not-yet-healed spot. "N-no..." he said. well they had   
probably re-opened it, but he did not say so. he bit his lip, and then decided to go on. "I...I ran into m-my   
mas-into Blackmoor," he said as he was prodded down the hallway. "One reason I had to leave; I wasn't safe." 

"I see." Lionthrar wished he'd had the recorder with him, one of the portable ones, to record that. 

"What did he do?" 

Orion didn't answer at first, but when he did it was in a resentful whisper. "B-beat the hell out of me." 

Lionthrar lifted his brows. He frowned, stopped the cat, and wrestled his tunic up in back. Hissing,   
Orion tried to jerk away form him, but the cat held him still. "Take it easy, cat, I'm not going to hurt you."   
Orion stilled, tense, and Lionthrar whistled when he saw the damage done. "All right,' he said. "You know   
half that bandaging is falling off, don't you" he said, and Orion nodded miserably. "I am sending you up to the   
infirmary; they'll have you put in your cell once they've tended you." 

Orion only nodded as the lion urged him along, more gently now. Was it his imagination, or was the   
lion's demeanor towards Orion less harsh? Maybe, maybe not. 

Lionthrar brought Orion up to the medical room, and told the medic on duty what was going on. "Go ahead   
and unbind him," he said. "And you can have a piece of his clothing brought to his cell if you want so he can   
change." he turned to Orion and looked at him seriously. "We are going to find out if all you've said it true," he   
said to him. "I would advise against causing trouble, It would go very badly for you.," He looked at Orion a   
moment before turning away and leaving the room. 

Orion sighed and looked finally back towards the medic, a young man who looked barely old enough to   
have learned his trade. He was smiling at Orion, waiting until he was ready. when he turned, the medic said,   
"Why don't you go ahead and sit down on the bed," he said, coming over to help Orion with it. Feeling   
dejected, Orion simply let him, but did breathe a sigh of relief when his arms were unbound. Rubbing them, he   
waited for what the medic would want him to do next. 

"All right, will you please take your shirt off? I would like to look at those injuries a little better." Orion nodded, and obliged, and heard the medic take in a sharp breath. "Are you hurt on your legs too?" he asked, and Orion nodded. The next question was, "Do you feel comfortable taking your breeches off? 

Orion hesitated a moment, before finally sighing, and shrugging his shoulders. "I-I guess so," he said. It   
was a medic, for crying out loud. 

The young man smiled. "Just take your time. I know what it feels like to disrobe in front of a medic, or   
anyone else for that matter." He turned his back to take some things out of the cabinet while Orion undressed. 

When he turned around again, Orion was nude and looking rather pathetic, and somewhat bloody. it had   
been a while, but the injuries had been serious. 

The medic took off the bandages, cleaned the wounds ("Brace yourself a bit, this is going to sting") and   
bandaged Orion up again. He re-splinted his hand, and gave him a shot of painkiller upon Orion's consent. The   
young man frowned, as he checked Orion's hand to re-splint it. He lightly fingered the scar on it, while Orion   
looked away. "I'm sorry," he said simply as he finished with the hand, and put on the new splint. 

Orion only nodded. He did not want pity. But he said nothing. 

"All right," the medic said once he was done. "I am going to give you one of the medical robes from   
here until I have some of your clothing brought in, all right? I've got to put you in a cell now though. Are you   
going to give me trouble?" 

The young man had a condescending way about him, Orion decided, but guess he did not really mind all   
that much. It was better than a cruel demeanor. he only shook his head. "Good," the medic said brightly.   
"Come on, then." 

Orion was led down a few more corridors by the medic, and down a row of cells that made Orion   
shudder. At least it was light, and the cells were bigger than at Blackmoor's He bit his lip, but said nothing. 

The medic opened a door to one of the cells, and Orion stared miserably inside it. "Go on," the medic   
said quietly, giving Orion a little shove. 

Clutching the robe around him, Orion stepped in, and heard the door being locked behind him. When he   
heard the medic leave the are, he crept onto the bed and collapsed there exhaustedly, wanting to cry but not being able to. maybe he already had cried too much...and his heart was too tired to do any more. 

Orion managed to go to sleep, and largely suspected the painkillers. He didn't care how, he was just glad   
that he did. 

Chapter 46 

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	46. Chapter 46

46 

Over the next four days or so, Falcon was examined by an animal handler, judged to be harmless, and   
put in a cage in the handler's office until Orion was set free. If he was not set free, Falcon would be sent to a   
zoo that knew how to take care of such animals. he was fed and watered. 

Orion's belongings were locked in a storage closet somewhere. 

And Orion... He was questioned nearly every day, sometimes attached to lie detectors, and sometimes   
having used a truth serum that left Orion dizzy and sick, and he vowed never to agree to that again. 

But eventually, they determined, as far as they could, that Orion was not a spy. Orion had actually told   
him all that he knew (although absolutely refused to tell them Hyder's name) about the place, which was not   
much. he knew of the wilderness which they said might be of use if they ever had to fight on Plundaar's terrain,   
and told him of Blackmoor, but that was about it. 

He did tell them there was a group of Mutants that wanted changes in the government,. That were   
fighting to stamp out slavery, and right some of the heinous wrongs the government did their people. Again, he   
gave no further information than this, but the Thunderians did not pry. They were surprised but pleased that   
such an organization existed. 

The only injuries that were not at least just barely healed were his hand and the deep puncture wound in   
his gut that Blackmoor's boot had dealt him. he was no longer in any real pain, and once it was established that   
he was not a spy, he'd been taken from the cells and put in one of the visitors' quarters and given his   
belongings. They wouldn't allow Falcon anywhere but the rooms for the animals on base, but had allowed him   
to visit. Orion had a time calming Falcon down and soothing his ire. 

Finally, Lionthrar knocked on the door of his room, and when Orion answered it, the lion smiled a bit   
"Well, I guess I owe you an apology," he said to Orion, extending his hand. Orion took it after a moment of   
surprise. The commander handed Orion his dagger back, and the young Thunderian took it, strapping it to his   
breeches. "You're being sent to the surface," he said. "They've sent the order to keep the ship, though." He   
actually sounded apologetic. 

Orion shrugged. "I-it isn't mine," he said. "I o-only needed it to get home." 

Lionthrar nodded. "Good. Actually...this is something that might interest you a little bit. See, we are   
still at war with the Plundaarians and don't have nearly a large enough force to send people to Plundaar to   
fight." he sighed, leaning against the doorway. "We've not been able to recover any of the prisoners that were   
taken." 

Orion bit his lip hard, thinking suddenly of his parents. He did not hold any hopes that they might still   
be alive, not anymore. 

"And King Claudus actually would like to meet you. You are the first that has escaped and been able   
to come back, that he knows of." 

Orion blinked, in shock this time. First, at the fact that Claudus wanted to meet him Actually wanted to meet him, a common mutt. The second was that he was the only one he knew of to have escaped from being taken prisoner. The though made him very sad. 

Lionthrar nodded. "Yes...the transport we're sending you in will take you to the Cats' Lair," Orion felt a   
rush of excitement at that, "and you will be taken to meet him if you're willing." 

Orion smiled a bit nervously, and then finally nodded. "A-all right...I-I can do that." What would the   
king think of him? 

"Yes...well. The transport will be leaving in an hour, you'd better get ready then." 

Orion nodded as the commander left his room. Closing the door, he was not sure what to think. He   
packed his things, and put on a pair of unripped breeches and a tan and green tunic. Cinching his belt around   
his waist and attaching his dagger to it, Orion felt better than he had in a while, now. And his dagger. He had   
been given it back, knowing he'd be seeing the king? They really must have decided he was on their side. 

Falcon was brought to the room on a harness, which was how they said he must be when they went   
inside the Cats' Lair. Orion did not like it, and Falcon liked it even less, but it was better than him being left   
behind, and both tolerated it. 

Orion was a bundle of walking nerves when he was led to the transport, carrying his pack, the leashed   
Falcon at his side. The commander shook his hand once more before leaving, and Orion crept into the small   
transport with one of the soldiers from the base. The Thunderian was very uncomfortable, not really knowing   
how to behave in society, other than trying to do whatever others did in the same situation. Shaking hands was   
nearly alien to him, as he'd never done it as a child, and certainly not as a slave. 

The trip took less than an hour, and was far less shaky than the ride from Plundaar. Orion found that he   
was nearly bursting with eagerness to step on Thunderian ground, and see the Thunderian sky, It should be   
blue, now, in the midmorning, and he had not seen blue sky in fifteen years. And, he was eager to get out of the   
transport, as he had had enough little ships now to last him a lifetime. At least this one was not so cramped. 

When the ship finally landed, a strange calm had come over Orion's features. he was still shaking inside, but his reflex of not showing how he felt had taken over and he looked calm, and truth to tell a little subservient. When the transport doors opened, he nearly jumped out, startling the still-wary soldier, and stopped short outside in the bright sun, squeezing his eyes shut. 

After several moments, the soldier put a hand on Orion's shoulder, making him jump, but the cat still did   
not open his eyes. "Are you all right?" the soldier asked, actually sounding concerned. 

"Um...no, actually," Orion said. He had not anticipated not being able to withstand the bright sunlight of   
Thundera. he was used to a dull light; even the artificial lights of Plundaar were not very bright, because   
people were used to it being dim. "It-it's really bright..." he cracked his eyes open, which at least allowed him   
to see where he was walking, but it frustrated him; he wanted to look out onto his planet, see if he even recognized anything. 

He wanted to look at the trees and the buildings, and the Cats' Lair. 

Still not moving, he forced himself to open his eyes a little more, to at least see before he went outside.   
The scene appearing almost too bright, like someone had messed with the brightness controls on a computer   
console, still looked wonderful to Orion. The more he saw, the more he remembered seeing it before. 

The soldier waited patiently while Orion had his look around, and then squinted his eyes once more and   
let the soldier lead him in. 

once inside, after taking several moments for his eyes to adjust to the subtle, warmer light of the inside of   
the Cats' Lair, Orion was able to see normally again. The first thing he noticed was how huge the place was!   
no claustrophobia in here, he thought. From the look of everything, even the dish cabinets were probably the   
size of his cell on Plundaar. 

He could not help but gawk at just the foyer. It was a huge hallway with tan walls, and simple, pleasing   
color trimmings. There were portraits here and there of Thunderians that Orion had no idea who they were on   
the walls, too high for him to be able to touch, and there were little tables here and there with decorations on   
them. 

He was led through similar hallways until they reached a room that made Orion's eyes widen. It was the   
throne room itself, he finally realized. He was being taken into a throne room. 

When he was finished being shocked, he actually began walking again and realized that the king was in   
there, selecting a book from a bookcase on one end of the cavernous room. he turned around at the sound of   
their footsteps and smiled. 

The first thing Orion noticed about him was the color of his mane. t was a pale blond, not the normal   
red or brown that most lions seemed to have. Orion blinked as he realized he remembered this about lions!   
"Welcome, Orion," the king said, his voice gentle and dignified. He did not quite seem to be looking at Orion,   
and the mixed cat realized that he was blind, his eyes an unnatural, milky white. had they always been like that? 

Realizing held been addressed by someone who had been legend to him until this moment and he'd not   
responded, he managed to stammer out, "Th-th-thank you, Your M-majesty." He remembered how the king of   
Plundaar had insisted he be called. 

To his surprise, Claudus chuckled and shook his head. "No, my young visitor. Please, call me Claudus.   
I dislike the use of pompous titles, and such." 

Orion only gaped at him. he did not think that those with such power ever acted humble, or even overly   
kind. Realizing he had been rude, Orion shut his mouth and took a tentative step forward. "A-all right,' he said   
in answer to the king's request. 

Seemingly amused, Claudus moved forward a little bit and extended his hand. "I am glad to meet you,   
young Orion." 

Again, Orion reverted to staring for several moments, before stepping forward to hesitantly take the   
man's hand. The king grasped his forearm for a brief moment, and then withdrew his hand. "I am sure you are   
wondering why I wished to meet you," he said. 

"W-well...y-yes, sir, I was." he was still marveling that instead of expecting to be knelt to, the king had   
shaken his hand. In a different manner than the commander had, though. now that he was closer, and speaking   
to him, Orion saw the king's sightless eyes had more or less settled on him. 

"Please, sit down," he said indicating a few chairs by the bookcases. There was a fireplace, but as warm   
as it was outside, there was no fire in the grate. Orion did so, stiffly. "You seem to be nervous, young Orion,"   
the old king said. "I hope that I do not intimidate you. That was not my intention." 

Orion fidgeted. "W-well...n-not...I mean, I don't mean to be... I-I mean I just...I met the Plundaarian   
king...I mean not that you're anything like him!" Orion hastily amended. The soldier that had brought him in   
had actually left the chamber, but Orion hadn't noticed. 

The king smiled, this time seeming a title bit sad. "It's all right, please relax. I mean no harm towards   
you at all. So you met the Mutant king, eh? Is it still Scile?" 

Orion nodded. "Y-yes." he hoed that the king would not ask him much about his enslavement. 

Claudus had no such intentions. "Well I did want to meet you, Orion," he said. "You are the only one   
so far that Thundera has seen again since the raids, and the fighting." he sighed. "That brings me great sorrow." 

Orion gulped, thinking of his parents. "M-me too," he said. 

"I am told you gave a lot of good information?" Claudus said. 

Orion nodded before realizing the king couldn't see him. "Y-yes...I-I guess so. It wasn't a lot." 

The king smiled. "Oh, but it was. Every bit helps. If not now, then at another time. Do you remember   
what city you were from?" Orion said that he did not. "What's your clan name?" he asked, and again, Orion   
had to admit that he did not know. Claudus nodded sympathetically. "You were taken at a very young age," he   
said quietly to Orion. "It is understandable that you remember little. Please, tell me what you do you remember, and maybe I can find out what village you came from." 

Orion thought a moment, and described some of the village, although it was likely to have changes a lot   
in fifteen years. then a name popped into his head. "Bowan... m-my father's name was Bowan..." 

Claudus frowned, thinking for a moment, then said slowly, "Bowan Kiros?" 

Orion's eyes widened, and he leapt from his seat, noting he had not startled Claudus at all. "That's it!"   
he cried, his eyes wide. "That's my last name!" 

The king's smile widened. "Well good! I am glad that you've remembered it. I have heard a bit of your   
father. In the military, am I right?" Orion nodded, suddenly finding it difficult to keep his eyes dry. "you're   
from the city of Swift, then, as that is where he lived." His face became sorrowful once more. "I'm afraid   
Swift did not come well out of the battles. They are only now beginning to thrive again. I can have you taken   
there, though, and we can find a place for you to live, if you like." 

Orion sat down, too much information being passed through his mind at one time. "Y-yes..." he said. 

"I...I would like that, sir...I-I mean Claudus." he bit his lip. "There...are there still woods nearby?" 

"Yes, I do believe there are. Why?" 

"Well...I...am kind of accustomed to living in the woods, and it would probably be best for Falcon, too." 

"Is Falcon the animal lying by your side?" falcon had jumped up when Orion did, but was lying down   
once more. Orion nodded. "Hmm. I think I know some people that would be willing to help you set up a home   
there...or wherever you would want to live." 

Orion bit his lip for a moment, and then asked a hesitant question. "Sir...why are you doing this for   
me?" 

Claudus sighed, stood, and paced. "Orion...it is the least that I can do. The Mutants attacked our   
villages and I was helpless to stop it. Many, many people were killed or taken away, and I could not stop it. The   
least I can do is help those that make it get back on their feet." 

Orion did not answer for a minute as he looked thoughtfully at the floor. Then he looked up and smiled. 

"A-all right..." he said finally to the king. "Thank you." He looked down again at Falcon, who had decided that   
maybe there was something interesting about the king that he'd missed because he was sniffing him out. 

Claudus jumped a bit in startlement as Falcon sniffed an area quite natural for a feral animal, but 

Orion's face turned bright red. "Falcon!" he said sharply, and the cub looked at him as if wondering what he did   
wrong. "I-I'm sorry," he stammered to Claudus, but the king only chuckled. 

"It's quite all right, Orion," he said, bending down and holding his hand out for the cub to sniff. "My   
son has a pet. I am familiar with their ways." 

Orion nodded, still blushing furiously. 

Finally, the king stood once more. "Well, I am going to make a few radio calls and get a hold of   
someone that can help you find a safe place to live, my young friend." 

"If...it won't be a nuisance," Orion said as the king went over to one end of the vast chamber, pulled   
out a drawer from the seemingly smooth wall, and produced a radio microphone. "I...don't like sleeping inside   
very much, I get tense when I'm closed in. just...a territory, somewhere near town." 

"That should be very easy." Orion wandered over near the books as Claudus made his calls, giving him   
privacy to talk. he looked over the titles, none of which he could read. 

After a few minutes, the king came over, smiling. "I have asked the soldier that brought you in to show   
you the way back out to the front of the lair. There is a transport on the way, that can take you to Swift." he   
held out his hand, and Orion took it once more. The king grasped his arm. "Good luck, young man. I hope that   
more will make it back...and that this damned war will end." 

Orion did not really trust himself to speak at this point. Feeling of relief and gratitude conflicted with   
hatred and sorrow for his parents not having been found. he did, however, wholeheartedly agree with Claudus   
in the he wished the war would end. 

There was, indeed, a transport outside, and the gruff soldier gestured impatiently for him to get into it. he   
did, and saw it was very like the one that had taken him down to the planet, except that it was smaller. But that   
did not bother him at this moment, so eager was he to see his home. He had a vague memory of them having had   
burned his house, but maybe they'd salvaged it? Even part of it? But then maybe it would be better if the   
house had not survived. His whole childhood he had wanted nothing more than to sleep in his own room again,   
but now he thought that it might just be a horrible mockery of his early childhood. With his parents gone, and   
himself an adult, it would not, and could not ever be the same. 

Squinting hard into the rapidly fading sunlight, he tried to catch something that was familiar to him, but   
it was all as alien as if he'd been sucked into an alternate dimension. The sky was a little familiar, but   
everything else seemed so strange, so smooth. most of the architecture on Plundaar was so severe, with sharp   
edges and decor that suggested power and strength. most the houses and buildings here seemed to be rounded   
on the tops, or even be round in shape. Those that weren't still had a soft, comforting look about them. They   
suggested home and family; clan. 

Finally, they arrived in what used to be his hometown, and his face fell. For one, it seemed a lot smaller   
to him. Part of this was he remembered it as a child, where everything seemed s big. but part of it was that it   
was smaller, only half the size it had been, there were still lots with nothing but burnt rubble in them. Not   
many, but some. There were empty lots, that had been allowed to grow over, and some that were being built on.   
many houses were new, an those that weren't were repaired... he bit his lip, knowing this was caused by the   
battle in which he'd been taken, and the whole horrible day replayed itself in his mind, as if on a televiewer. 

He tore his gaze from the window somewhat forcefully, and sat back in his seat, feeling shaky. "I-it was   
destroyed," he whispered. Almost totally destroyed. Was anyone he even knew still alive? 

Orion did not look again until the transport had reached the edge of the town and gone into the woods as   
far as it could go (which wasn't far). "This is as far as I can get you," said the guard. "The king seems to have   
taken a liking to you, Plundaarian." 

Orion almost didn't notice what he'd been called, but when he did, it was like a slap to the face. The   
guard didn't notice his stunned expression and continued. "He's sent ahead a cargo transport with the supplies   
to make your home with..." he shook his head. "Well come on, I need to show you where you can safely build, and what areas you can hunt in that aren't claimed by the meat vendors." 

Somewhat subdued, Orion walked after him and listened to everything he Said. The areas that were   
pointed out, he marked, by running his claws across the bark of a tree. When they returned, he saw the supplies   
had been unloaded. 

As the surly guard left, Orion smiled tentatively to the workers that had unloaded the truck. one was a   
lion, the other looked like a mixed breed. "Hear you came form Plundaar," the mixed breed said, but didn't   
seem too unpleasant about it. Orion nodded quietly. "That had to be rough. Well we're supposed to make sure   
you're all right, and help ya if you're needin' it." 

"Well..." Orion said softly. "I...have never built a building before..." 

"Hey no problem. Come on over here, lemme write ya up some plans you could use as a guideline,   
write down where everything needs to go. Me an' Liona," he indicated the other man, which Orion realized was   
actually a strong looking woman, and turned a little red for thinking her to be male. "We got time, we can start   
ya off." 

"Thank you," Orion said gratefully, but when the mixed breed began to make out his plans, Orion found   
out they were nearly gibberish. "I...I can't read," he said, feeling very ignorant.   
The mixed breed blinked, and sat back. "Hmm," he said. "That might be a problem...." Seeing Orion's   
embarrassed look, he chuckled. "Don't worry bout it. I didn't learn to read until I was about 25. We'll come up   
with something else." in the end, he had drawn out the plans, and simply shown Orion what it all meant. 

Orion told Liona and Nagari (the mixed breed) that he wanted a lot of room, and that having only one   
room was acceptable. Liona did convince him, though, to have a toilet area that they could link into the city's   
sewer system, and Orion agreed. The pair got him started building his foundation, and he helped eagerly, the   
prospect of having his own home lightening his mood. 

They had gotten a lot done, and Nagari had made the comment that Orion was a hell of a worker, "and   
smart to boot! "Ya don't get that all too often." And he'd chuckled; told Orion he should consider working   
for the company they worked for. His compliment unwittingly made Orion feel ashamed, because he knew why   
he was a good worker. but he said nothing, and only smiled and thanked the cats that had helped him. 

"We'll be coming back to help until it's all built," said Liona. 

"I-I don't know how to thank you enough," Orion said, staggered by the kindness the king was showing   
him, and how willingly these two had helped. 

"Ah, don't worry about it," Nagari said. "I been in tough spots before, now that's I'm all right again, I   
like helping others get out of those tight spots." 

Orion smiled and waved at the pair as they left.   


  


Chapter 47 

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	47. Chapter 47

47 

Over the next weeks, the trio worked to get the one-room building finished. Orion worked just as hard   
if not harder than Liona and Nagari, and the building was completed quickly. The region of Thundera was mild enough, and it would be protection plenty for the cooler months. Orion had actually fashioned a stone fireplace of sorts, with a stone hearth and border, so that he could build a cooking fire, and for warmth if he needed it. 

In the meanwhile, he slept on his bedroll from Plundaar outside, with Falcon at his side. Orion usually   
had to leave him a ways from the building while they worked, because he got underfoot.   
but now it was finished, and Orion thanked his two friends over and over as they stood looking at it. It   
was simple, and big inside, so that it did not make Orion uncomfortable. 

"Hey come on, now, yer gonna make me all bigheaded," said Nagari with a laugh. He clapped Orion on   
the back, and the young man didn't even flinch. 

Liona winked at him. "There's a carnival going to take place here in a few days," se said. "We're going   
to be there...you should come. It seems a great way to let Thundera know you're back." 

Orion smiled at the pair, and shuffled his feet a bit Then he nodded. "O-okay," he said to them. "I'll be   
there." He waved at them as they ;left in the truck-vehicle, and then turned to Falcon. he wiped his eyes, which   
seemed to be a bit damp, and went inside his home, where he had put his things. There were some shelves for his   
things, and an indentation for his bedroll. he grinned broadly. "What do you think?" Orion asked. 

Falcon sniffed the wood, looked unimpressed, and ran off to play in the leaves. Orion smiled, and looked around.   
It smelled different here. Far different. There had been nights when Orion did actually miss the forests   
of Plundaar. Having lived there for so long, one could hardly blame him for missing it. The wilds had become   
his home, after all. If only he was a Mutant. Then he could stay there without his life being in such danger. 

Orion shook his head, and shoved the thoughts away. He hated when he dwelled on something,   
especially when it was something that could not be. He sighed, looking into the sky, achingly familiar to him,   
but still so very alien. 

He wondered if Hyder ever would have tried running away if Orion hadn't been there. He wondered the   
if he would have, if he would have succeeded. That was what Orion thought of most often when he cursed the   
Mutants for taking him from his home. he thought about not ever having met Hyder, or he thought bout Hyder   
never escaping Blackmoor. 

Orion frowned, irritated with himself. Had he not just decided to turn his train of thought from this   
subject? but then, what else did he have to do? He didn't have to fear for his life, anymore. He did not have to   
watch out behind him twenty-eight hours a day. 

Of course he likely still would, but it would be a waste of energy. 

Orion followed the sounds of Falcon's playing, and sat down to watch. When night came, he went   
inside his little house, smiled, and lay down on his bedroll. as the house was being built, Orion had asked if   
they could make an indentation, a rounded, gradual dip in the floor of the room, for his bed. When the   
puzzled Thunderian asked why, Orion explained that it would be more comfortable for him to get a lot of   
blankets to use as a bed than a regular bed. They had agreed, and now all Orion had to do was get the blankets. 

He could get furs to trade, he knew this, perhaps some dried meat once he had hunted. He had a couple   
of furs, which he had learned to tan, and some of the dried meat, but he did not want to use his supplies until he   
had gotten into a hunting routine on the new planet. 

He would figure it out. 

But in the meanwhile, he was going to get used to his new home, and the carnival was in a few days, He   
was looking forward to that. And so he slept. 

Before the festival began, Orion began seeing signs of its eminent arrival. It was a regional festival,   
meaning that people from at least a dozen different cities would be coming to attend. That made Orion nervous, but it made him feel excited, also. To see so many Thunderians! It would be strange to him. 

As he watched here and there from the edge of the city, he saw booths being set up, and tables ready for   
the carnivals. He saw people arriving on foot and by hovercar, and even by wheeled vehicle, some similar to   
carts he had seen on Plundaar. He had not ventured much into the city yet, preferring to stay in the woods away   
from them. He wanted to get used to his new home before having to contend with so many other people. 

But finally the first day of the festival began. Orion woke early that day, watched the sun rise brilliantly   
into the orange sky, and dressed. 

The young man bit his lip. Plundaarian clothing. That could be a problem. The coveralls that Hyder   
gave him were unripped, but they were clearly of Mutant origin, and looked vaguely military. He would not   
wear those. He did have a tunic and breeches of the type that the commoners wore, which was less conspicuous,   
and had only holes in the knees. He would wear those, and perhaps he would find some at the carnival that he   
could trade or buy. 

Making sure he had his credits in his pouch, his dagger at his waist, and the hooded tunic, Orion took a   
deep breath and looked towards the town. Already he could hear the faint noises of much merrymaking, and   
had to smile. A real Thunderian festival! He never thought he would see a real one. 

"Come on, Falcon...let's go." 

Orion was nearly to the main festival sight when he realized that he had his hood up. He felt a little   
embarrassed, but also felt loathe to take it down. However, he was discovering that he was getting strange looks,   
and would be far less conspicuous with it down. This clashed with every nerve in his body, after so many years   
of hiding his face in public. But when he took it down and got hardly a second glance, he relaxed a little bit. 

His clothing was getting a few odd looks, but as many people were dressed colorfully for the festival, he   
did not draw as much attention as he'd feared. And that was also good. 

The young man gazed around raptly as he looked down the aisles of tables and booths. There were   
shows going on here and there, and games and contests. Some of the sudden noises and boisterous   
game-vendors startled him, but he did not mind. The fascination of the festival was far more immediate than his   
familiar timidity. 

There was a choir of children singing traditional songs, and this Orion listened to in its entirety, standing   
off to one side a little bit, away from the main group of spectators. He smiled as he listened, enjoying the cubs'   
voices. Falcon seemed to be listening too, as he sat with his head cocked, one ear perked forward, the other   
listening to the interesting things going on behind them. 

He spent the whole day wandering around and seeing what was there. He almost tried buying a jug of   
milk, but realized that the credits in his pocket were Plundaarian, and would not only not be accepted here, but   
likely seen as suspect. Grateful he had remembered in time, Orion walked away from the stall. 

This was his permanent home now, he realized. he was so used to being a nomad, traveling wherever he   
could be safe, and have food to hunt down. He would not be able to steal here. 

But then if he was here permanently, he could get a job to buy the few things he needed or wanted. 

No one said more than a polite hello while he was there, and Orion didn't answer aloud. He only   
smiled, or nodded somewhat awkwardly. He was shocked at the sheer variety of breeds that were there. he saw   
many that seemed to be of mixed heritage like himself, and even the purebreds were diverse. Cheetahs, and   
lions, ocelots and servals. Wildcats and even smaller ones that the legends say were once domesticated. 

Yes, he had learned some of the legends of his home planet. The workers that had helped with   
his house knew where he came from, and were eager enough to fill his head with stuff they thought he should   
know. he didn't mind, he was as eager to learn, as they to tell. 

When Orion left the festival grounds, the parties and festivities were still going. They would run   
through the night, he had been told, just like on Plundaar. That was an oddly comforting similarity. He was   
finding that things that were similar to the Mutant planet were comforting for him. A bit of familiarity amid so   
much that was different. 

He was tired by the end of the day, and Falcon was even so droopy that Orion had carried him for the   
last hour. Falcon did attract a lot of attention, but he did not mind, and he had been able to avoid questions   
about where he had gotten him. He briefly thought about leaving the cub behind, but decided in the end not to. 

The next day, Orion returned, this time with his backpack with him. He had left behind most of his   
things, but carried his few furs, and some of the things he had gotten in his travels. There was a wooden dagger   
of sorts he had carved at one point, and not done too bad a job of. He had a regular dagger, a common enough   
style in the universe, that he had stolen from a Plundaarian town. There was the stone game he had gotten at   
the fair, although it was a Plundaarian game, and he would think twice about trading it. There were a couple   
three very small trinkets here and there that he had found or stolen, and it was with these that he went into town. 

This time, he did have to talk some. He expected there to be problems with his accent, but   
surprisingly, hardly anyone said a word. What Orion did not know was that Claudus himself had notified the   
village's mayor, and he in turn had warned the citizens that Orion would in all likelihood speak like a Mutant,   
even act like one, to an extent, but he was solidly of Thunderian alliance. 

There were some that avoided him, Orion saw, once they realized he had lived on Plundaar, but none   
attacked him or arrested him, and for that the young man was endlessly grateful. He asked of one of the   
vendors to tell him what the date was, and when he was told, he thought for a long time, struggling to remmeber   
when his birthday was. he couldn't remmeber the day, but the cycle... "I've been twenty for months now..."   
and he'd thought he had just turned twenty. 

The shopkeeper gave him an odd look as Orion left the stall, but the strange cat did not seem to notice.   
This time around, there were things that Orion could buy. 

He traded two of the furs, skins of Plundaarian animals that were highly difficult to get on Thundera,   
and got a decent set of Thunderian clothing. He had seen one in a booth that looked achingly like his favorite   
tunic as a child, and had stayed away from that one. He couldn't dwell on the past, or his heart would simply   
snap in half. And so he had gotten a dark green and tan tunic, and a pair of breeches that reached below his   
knee. His boots would do him fine for winter. With his last fur, that of a dehata, he got a nice warm blanket. 

Pleased, he stuffed both into his backpack, and continued enjoying the faire.   
he got only one more thing there that day; the jug of milk he'd tried to get the day before. He decided   
that he would not go the next day, as he had had far too much exposure to other people. He needed some solitude   
to keep hold of his sanity. 

Still, most of the Thunderians had treated him warmly enough, and some had welcomed him back.   
more memories of home had drifted back, seeing his town and his people again, but that was okay. They were   
good memories. 

Orion did go one more time, on the last day of the faire, which had lasted a week. The mayor had made   
a speech about being glad to see so many people from out of town, and how good a festival it had been, and   
that they expected a fine harvest. he made some citywide announcements, then bade the citizens to enjoy the last   
day of the regional fair. 

There had been cheers, and even Orion was grinning, standing off to the side by himself. 

He traded his trinkets and the wooden dagger for a child's book of legends. Thunderian legends. It   
was in Basic, but he had vowed to learn how to read it someday, and the artwork in the illustrations was beautiful. He decided not to trade his game, as he found himself loathe to part with it. 

It was late in the afternoon when it happened. Orion was trying to discourage Falcon from licking the   
bread on a vendor's cart, when a voice behind him said, "Orion?" 

Frowning, Orion straightened, and blinked, looking into the eyes of a leopard, or a jaguar. He still   
couldn't tell which was which. Pulling Falcon away from the bread, he said, "Do...I kn-know you?" 

The spotted cat, sporting a wild, red mane spotted with black, blinked. He stared at Orion for a few   
moments, and then said, "It is you...the mayor described you to everyone and explained somewhat of what   
happened, but...I never thought..." 

And now Orion was frowning, trying to catch the glimpses of memory that were flitting about his   
mind. The startling green eyes, the unusual red mane... 

The spotted cat frowned a bit. "You don't remmeber me, do you?" 

"I-I do...I-I..." but then it clicked, and he remembered a day not long after he had gotten into the fight   
with the other children, talking to his best friend about it. "J-Jaguarin. Right?" 

Jaguarin, now a tall, willowy young man of twenty-one, smiled. "Yeah...it's me..." Both men looked a   
little uncomfortably at each other for a moment, and then Jaguarin offered his hand. 

Orion took it, shaking a bit from a flood of memory concerning his childhood friend. Jaguarin and his   
family had always accepted Orion, and made him feel welcome. "I-I don't believe it," Orion said. 

Jaguarin smiled, almost embarrassed, and shrugged. "Yeah, it's me... Jeez, Orion, you sound like a   
Mutant." at the dark look that fluttered over Orion's face, Jaguarin winced. "I'm sorry, that didn't sound quite   
right...I just meant...you must have been there a while." 

Orion nodded, and let go of Jaguarin's hand. It was strange, being with a friend from so long ago. He   
wasn't sure how to react to him. He couldn't help but think of Hyder, and wish that he was there. "Yes...a long   
time.," He was quiet then. 

Jaguarin frowned. Orion was a completely different person than the spirited child he remembered being   
best friends with. Jaguarin could se it, he could feel it. he could tell his friend had gone through hell and back. 

He saw the wariness and the pain in Orion's eyes. "Hey, come on, there's a dance-show on one of the stages,   
you know those traditional dances? Want to go watch?" 

Orion smiled a little. "Sure." 

The two young Thunderians walked over and sat on one of the benches in front of the stage. The   
dancers were getting ready behind the wooden construct. Orion asked quietly if they could sit towards the end,   
as he didn't like being around a lot of people at once. 

That too was very different than Jaguarin remembered, but he nodded and sat down near the far   
left-hand side. "So what's with the...what is that, anyway?" Jaguarin asked, pointing to Falcon. The cub was   
sniffing him out intently, wondering at the strange smells. So many that had the cat-smell, like Orion! 

Orion smiled. "His name is Falcon, he's a hyena." 

Jaguarin blinked. "A hyena? I thought that...that they were sentient." 

"They are. but there are feral ones around, also, that the hyena Mutants evolved from." 

"Oh..." He reached out hand towards the little creature. Falcon sniffed it curiously and then looked as if   
to say "Okay, now what?" Jaguarin chuckled a bit and pet the hyena cub. "He's a strange little creature. But   
cute." 

Orion nodded. 

The pair watched the show for a while, neither of them speaking, and the Jaguarin turned back to his old   
friend. "What happened, Orion?" he asked. "The Mutants attacked, and I saw you and your parents running... We tried to catch up, my mom and dad, and Kailee, but we couldn't. We had to run the other way when a group   
of the Mutants cut us off. We only barely got to a transport." 

Orion's content expression vanished, and he bit his lip, suddenly remembering the horrible day. Remembering the flames that reached high into the sky from his house, remembering the snickers of the Mutants as they took his father down... 

Jaguarin winced again. "Sorry, Orion...I seem to be putting my foot in my mouth today. If you don't   
want to talk about it, that's all right." 

Orion didn't say anything for a few moments. Then, "Do...do you still live in town?" 

Jaguarin nodded. "Still with my parents, actually. Kailee's moved out, though." he frowned. "Why?" 

The smaller cat smiled a bit sadly. "We...we can talk. Sometime when we're not around so many   
people..." 

Jaguarin nodded quickly. "Okay, good enough." 

They watched the rest of the show in silence, and when it was over, the carnival was winding down. It   
was nearly over, and many Thunderians were leaving to get an early start to head back home. "Well...I'm going   
o head back home," Jaguarin said. He seemed uncomfortable. "Did you want to come over?" 

Orion was tempted. But he decided he was not quite ready to meet any more people from his childhood.   
His mind was already whirling with Thunderians. "No...not...not yet." he sighed, standing up. "It's weird,   
Jaguarin...it's weird talking to you,. saying your name. it's weird seeing Thunderians everywhere...hell, it's   
weird not being Plundaarian anymore. I need...I need some time to adjust." 

The jaguar smiled, and nodded. "I understand, Orion. Maybe in a few days...would that be all right?"   
It still felt strange even to have other people ask if something was all right with him. Orion laughed a   
little bit. "That would be great," he said softly. 

"If you'd feel weird at my house, maybe I can come to yours...where do you live?" 

"Um, in the woods, actually...there's a little house there that some of the workers from the village   
helped me build." 

"Oh! Oh, that's you that lives way out there... The townspeople were talking about it once." he laughed   
a little at Orion's surprised and somewhat dismayed expression. "It's all right. Orion. The king himself sent notice that you are not to be disturbed. That you had helped the military, and were under protection." he sighed. "That, and you went through a lot." 

Orion bit his lip and looked down, nodding. in that moment he looked so haunted that Jaguarin got a   
small glimpse of the Orion that lived under Blackmoor's cruel ownership. But then Orion looked up again and   
the disturbing image faded. "Yes... Well, in a few days, then." he smiled. "If I am not there, I'm out hunting,   
and shouldn't be more than a couple of hours... But if you come in the evening, I should be there." 

Jaguarin grinned. "I'll see you then." The to shook hands, Jaguarin grasping Orion's arm like the king   
had done. Orion returned the gesture and watched his old friend leave. 

That night, Orion sat next to the campfire, in the firepit outside his home. Falcon lay curled up next to   
him, waiting for the meat to cook, so that he could have some. Oddly enough, the cub like cooked meat just as   
well as raw. Still, Orion had given him some of the raw meat first, since it had more nutrients that way. 

He thought a great deal. This was an awful lot to happen to him in just a few short weeks. His entire   
existence had been turned upside down and shaken, and he felt a bit surreal, disoriented. Meeting Jaguarin   
again had him feeling oddly discontent. Jaguarin had been his best friend as a child. he always made him feel   
better when Orion was feeling low, or sad. but now, he seemed a stranger...stirring only the vaguest of memories in the young man's mind. He almost felt like a traitor to Hyder. 

Sighing Orion took the meat from the fire, gave some to Falcon, and ate the rest himself. 

Chapter 48 

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	48. Chapter 48

48 

The third day after the carnival's end saw Jaguarin in the forest, trying to find where Orion's little home was.   
He had already been walking for a good half hour, and was getting aggravated. He should have gotten some   
form of directions through the tree-maze. 

But soon he caught site of what looked like a man-made structure, and approached it. Seeing a one-room   
building, he smiled, thinking that this must be it. Orion wasn't there, but had said that if he wasn't, he would be   
back within an hour, since he was almost always back before dark. 

As it was, the jaguar waited only ten minutes or so before he heard Falcon's odd little howling sound.   
He stood up from where he'd sat in the grass and grinned as Orion came out of the woods, two dehata-like   
creatures in his hand. He didn't know what they were called, but they tasted similar, only they were not quite as   
timid. "Hey, Orion. I never thought of you as the hunter type." 

Orion chuckled a bit sadly as he lay the two animals down. "Well, it was either that or die of starvation," he said. 

Jaguarin's grin faded, and he nodded. "I suppose that's true," he said. "Um, are you going to skin those?" 

"Well, I'm not going to eat them with their fur on." 

Jaguarin grimaced. "I...am going to, uh, come back when you're done, is that all right?" 

Orion chuckled. "Of course. Give me a half hour or so. I can scrape the hides later." 

Jaguarin looked rather ill, and moved quickly away while Orion began his task. 

When the meat was on the fire, Jaguarin and Orion sat on a large log nearby. Orion had flattened it on   
the bottom and top, making a primitive bench. both were quiet at first, as Jaguarin was letting Orion take his time. 

Finally, the young man spoke. "They took us to a ship," Orion said. "They took my parents to a   
different one." He stared into the fire as he spoke, its flames flickering warm orange light onto his face. The   
sun was dipping below the horizon., and soon the fire would be all the light they had. 

"Do you know what happened to them?" Jaguarin asked. 

Orion shook his head. "I got thrown into a room with a bunch of other prisoners. We stopped at   
several places, until just a few of us were left..." He looked at Jaguarin. "You ever hear of a Mutant named   
Blackmoor?" 

Jaguarin frowned. "I've heard the name. Some bigshot jackal, am I right?" 

"Yes. He is in close with the government and military. He owns a huge complex, run by him and his   
taskmasters. He supplies the Military with vehicles, often, gasses for gas warfare., sometimes money. He's got   
mines, hangars...all kinds of enterprises." Orion sighed, thinking of the dismal complex that had been his home   
for such a long time. "Most of these are powered by slaves, it's a slave complex is what it is. A work camp." 

Jaguarin stared. "You were enslaved?" Orion nodded, opening his hand, which bore Blackmoor's brand. Jaguarin stared at it, horrified. "My gods, Orion. You were just a child!" 

"Yeah. He had children there. Still does, I guess. Easier to control, easier to train. They fit in the   
mines, and other smaller places." Orion couldn't help but shudder at this. "He had adults there. mostly   
Mutants and humans. No Thunderians. He sold the others he had." He looked towards the town. "That's why seeing so many seems odd to me. Even unnerving. I was more Plundaarian than Thunderian, living so long there." 

"You lived as a slave all this time?" Jaguarin looked completely horrified at the prospect. he had   
noticed some of the visible scars on Orion's body, and had not thought they could be what they looked like:   
whip scars. But apparently they were. 

Orion shook his head. "No, not the whole time. I tried escaping twice; the first time I got caught and   
punished for it. I was nine. I think. The second time we tried, we made it, I was thirteen then, I'm pretty sure.   
I've been able to keep almost accurate track since then." 

"What'd he do to you?" 

But Orion shook his head darkly, turning the spit on which his kills were cooking. "He hurt me. Bad.   
That's all I want to say about it." Jaguarin nodded agreeably. 

"You said 'we'...who else escaped with you?" 

Orion hesitated here before answering. "The first time it was me and two other Mutants. Slaves," he   
quickly amended. "A simian and a hyena...I'd made friends with them. But after two escape attempts, he kills   
you, and Tamarin died." 

"Gods...he was the simian?" Orion nodded. "But the hyena wasn't killed?" 

Orion shook his head. "No. After we were forced to watch Tamarin's execution, we were sent for   
punishment, and then eventually back to our normal chores. He was named Hyder, three years older than I was.   
He looked after me from the beginning, and we became very good friends. But the second time we escaped, we   
got separated, and I didn't see him again for a long time. I never knew exactly what happened to him, but I didn't think he had been caught. I hoped not." 

The pair was silent for a few moments as Jaguarin took all of this in. Orion stared at the fire. Finally,   
Jaguarin asked, "Where did you go? There are no free Thunderians on Plundaar, are there?" 

Orion shook his head. "No. At first I went to the home of a rat Mutant. A few years before, Blackmoor had   
sent me there to work for a couple of months. She gives her servants vacation, and during that time she pays for   
the services of one of Blackmoor's slaves. He asked me because I had behaved well for months. She was kind. She tried to buy me from Blackmoor when she saw how the damtadd treated me, but he wouldn't sell. She taught me how to dog-paddle, a little bit. Wish I could have stayed there." He sighed. Blackmoor had not let him go back, even though Hintracrii had requested him. Too pissed about his first escape attempt, he guessed. 

"This is...it's weird," Jaguarin said. "I never heard of decent Mutants before..." He frowned, and then   
cocked his head. "What's a damtadd?" 

At this, Orion actually laughed. "Damtadd. A curse. It means 'bastard'." 

Jaguarin also laughed. "Plundaarian...of course you'd speak it. You probably got in trouble if you   
spoke Basic." 

"No...but I got in trouble if someone gave me a command in Plundaarian and I didn't obey it. Most the   
taskmasters translated, but some were just sadistic jerks. And Blackmoor didn't take ignorance of the language as an excuse to disobey. So I learned it pretty fast." 

Jaguarin shuddered. "Jeez...you really...that's unthinkable, my friend." 

"Yeah. He never fed me enough, either, and he's the reason I'm terrified of water. Anyway. After I   
escaped, I hung about the towns, stealing what I needed here and there at night. Met a jackal kid who taught   
me some about hunting, and eventually I got good at it. Lives in the wilds for years, and I was happy there.   
Ran into a few problems here and there, but I was mostly happy. I was free, didn't have to worry about being   
beaten for screwing some minute thing up." he turned the spit again, then put his chin in his hands. "Met   
Falcon less than a year ago, just barely born, from what I could tell. Caught in a vine that has sticky...sap or   
something that ensnares its prey, I hate those damned things. I freed him and we've been friends ever since." 

Jaguarin smiled, petting the friendly little hyena cub, who looked up curiously. he had already eaten   
while Orion was hunting, a held found a little rodent like creature that Falcon particularly liked. But now the   
cub was looking expectantly at Orion. "It's not done yet, cub, be patient." But Orion knew the cub had no   
patience. He laughed and ruffed Falcon's mane. Falcon gave him an indignant look and lay back down. 

"Wow..." Jaguarin said at last. "That...it's...it's amazing, Orion. I couldn't have done what you did.   
I'd have gone mad within a month." he looked at Orion, who seemed mildly surprised. "You've got a lot of   
courage, I think." 

Orion blinked, but then he smiled a little. "Thanks," he said quietly. "I didn't used to. I used to think   
that all the things my mas-" He cut off, growling silently at himself for the slip. "-my captor said of me were   
true. I thought I got in trouble all the time because I was to stupid or incompetent to do things right." He tossed   
a bit of wood into the fire. "It's still surprising when someone says something to the contrary. " 

Jaguarin looked at him for a moment, then tentatively put an arm around the smaller cat. Orion tensed   
for a moment, then accepted the gesture, smiling a bit. "Thanks." 

Jaguarin grinned, let go, and eyed the meat, which was smelling really good. "How long until that's   
done?" he asked. 

Orion laughed. "Oh yeah...you were the eternal stomach, weren't you?" Jaguarin's question had brought forth this from his memory. "You always liked to eat." 

Pleased that his friend remembered, Jaguarin stuck out his gut proudly. "Yep! And the envy to all the   
girls in upper school because I never gained much weight because of it." 

"It's nearly done cooking," Orion assured him. "One for you, one for me." 

"Cool. Thanks." A companionable silence ensued then, and Orion was surprised that he felt better   
having told his tale. 

"So how'd you get here? I mean King Claudus himself is who told everyone here to let you be." 

Orion smiled. "That... That's a long story. Not long after I found Falcon, I met up with Hyder again..."   
Orion told the story of how he;d met up again with Blackmoor, and of how Hyder had helped him escape death. 

Jaguarin was listening quietly, his eyes wide as the stories of what Orion had been through were told.   
He didn't speak, only let Orion continue, 

"Hyder brought me back...well I can't say a whole lot about him. But he brought me somewhere safe, and   
helped me get a ship I could escape in. An old military ship that had been released from duty and was available   
to the citizens. Easy to fly, and the auto pilot did the rest." He laughed, a little bitterly this time. "I almost   
couldn't go through with it. I'm terrified of small places, too. Again, thanks to Blackmoor." Orion moved the   
food away from the heat to cool down a little bit before he handed one over on a sharpened stick to Jaguarin.   
"Had some problems when I got into Thunderian airspace, though." 

Jaguarin took the meat, and cocked his head. "Why?" he asked. 

"Well, I was in a Mutant ship. I was asleep when they hit me with warning shots, and blared over the   
radio that I had better pick up else they'd blast me into many pieces." 

"But...couldn't they tell you were Thunderian?" 

"No visual." 

"But your voice-" Orion was ready to correct him, but he soon saw it was not necessary. Jaguarin had   
realized it on his own. "I see what you mean." 

"Yeah. They were all ready to execute me as a spy or a traitor, I think. Even when I told them I had   
been a slave, they thought I had turned to gain my freedom." 

"So how'd you convince them otherwise?" 

"Truth serum and lie detectors. The king himself actually wanted to meet me." Orion shook his head.   
"It was a shock to me, that someone in so high a station would treat me with respect. he helped me get my   
home built, he said it was the least he could do. he hadn't been able to stop the Mutants from killing people..."   
he sighed. "Not that there was anything anyone could have done, anyway. Hyder says we haven't really fought   
for five years. Not openly." 

Jaguarin nodded. "We haven't. it's kind of a stalemate. But there's people working on trying to get   
some kind of official cease fire. Peace talks, and all." He picked a piece of meaty off his meal and ate it. "Not   
likely. Not with those miserable bastards over there. They like to kill too much." 

Orion frowned. "Not all of them!" At Jaguarin's surprised look, Orion relented a little. "Sorry...it's just   
that everyone around here thinks they're all murdering bastards... They're not. it's just that the people in   
control of the planet are, and they persecute everyone else." He paused, then continued. "People like   
Hyder...there's a whole organization that wants peace, that wants to end slavery. Even the woman, the rat   
Mutant, said she believed I was treated wrongly...I think she may have had serious thoughts about rallying for   
the end of slavery, too." 

The jaguar was quiet for a long time, only taking a bit of meat here and there as he thought. "You're   
right," he said finally, his voice low. The sun had set, and it was dark all around them, the cheerful fire their   
only light. "Thunderians tend to be judgmental at times, unfortunately." He laughed a bit ruefully.   
"Including me. I'm sorry." Orion nodded and began on his own supper, giving a bit to Falcon every now and   
then. "I'd like to meet this Hyder someday," Jaguarin said. "I'd like to meet the man who showed such honor   
and courage." 

Orion smiled, then. "Me too. He said he'd look me up. Hopefully that day will come soon." 

After Orion had told his story, the talk went to lighter subjects. He told Jaguarin a few of the things   
that Hyder and he had spoken of while working for Blackmoor. He told him about the conversation about the   
race, and the bra. 

"Holy shit, I remember that!" Jaguarin exclaimed, and laughed. "I remember you and I whispered about   
it the next day!" 

Orion grinned. "Yep! I remembered I wanted to be a racer, very badly." He told Jaguarin of some of the   
more amusing things that had happened to him, and the jaguar told Orion things that had happened to him in   
school, and how his life had turned out. "I'm a leatheresmith," he said with a grin. "I was an apprentice for a   
few years before my master retired, and I too over." Then he blinked. "Um, maybe I shouldn't use the word   
master." 

"It's all right. Hyder held an apprenticeship, and he said he had some problems with the word, too. But   
his teacher was a good person, at least." Orion chuckled. "I miss him a lot, though. We always thought we'd   
always stick together. but then we lost each other in the escape." The two young men were finished eating   
now, and lay down in the grass, looking up through the trees at the stars. 

"Yes. Things happen a lot. But at least you're both free," he said. 

"Yeah." 

They talked a bit more, Orion telling Jaguarin of some of the creatures of Plundaar, and teaching him a   
couple of Plundaarian cuss words. Jaguarin laughed and taught Orion their Thunderian counterparts. This childish conversation took a few moments of their time, and managed to put both in a better mood. 

Soon, though, Jaguarin stood. "I should head back, I have to work tomorrow at the shop." 

Orion also stood, and hesitantly held out his hand. When Jaguarin grasped it, Orion said "Ah, hell with   
it," and drew Jaguarin in to embrace him. 

Jaguarin smiled and squeezed Orion tight. "I missed you for a long time," he said. "I always feared   
you were dead." 

Orion sighed. "I never knew what happened to you. Hell, I was so terrified, I hardly had time to think   
about anything." 

Jaguarin stood back. "I believe it." 

"Yeah. Well, I'll see you in town then, Jags." Orion blinked, the name having popped up, and he   
laughed. "I remember that. I couldn't pronounce your name." 

The jaguar laughed aloud. "That's right...I forgot about that. I hate that nickname." But before Orion   
could say anything, Jaguarin held up his hand. "But for you? Special deal. You can have the honor of being the   
only cat alive allowed to call me Jags." 

Orion blinked, and then laughed, giving his old friend a shake of the head. "I am honored," he said,   
laughing. "It's a deal." 

The two friends parted, then, and Jaguarin headed back for town. Orion went to sleep with a light heart   
that night. 

Chapter 49 

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	49. Chapter 49

49 

Days, and then weeks, went on. The weather got hotter, which Orion and Falcon didn't mind too much at all.   
For Orion's part, he simply tried to adjust back into a life of felines, not Plundaarians. Sometimes it was not   
difficult. But sometimes he got strange looks, or watched people shy away from him. 

Even Falcon was avoided sometimes, because of his strangeness. Such a creature was unheard of on Thundera,   
and most cats didn't even know what he was until Orion told them. 

Orion wasn't so great at learning languages, but as the weeks passed, and became months, he did learn a few   
simple phrases of the Thunderian language. Basic was used more commonly, which was good. His not knowing how to read Basic was a bit more of a problem. He often had to ask people what things said. He did eventually learn how to read some of   
it, but never quite got to the level that he knew in Plundaar. 

And even that wasn't much. 

For the most part, the villagers were friendly to him. It still felt strange to him that he didn't have to be masked   
and hooded when he went into town, and not having to cover up was a blessing in itself. 

Not everyone was so friendly, however. Many glared at the "outsider", and some even openly told him that he   
wasn't welcome, or that he was a traitor. That kind of thing. Orion normally just quietly walked away. Still, it   
hurt. Even on his own home world, he could never really completely fit in. 

He did spend a lot of time with Jaguarin, re-acquainting himself with his old friend. At first they were a bit   
apprehensive, but in time, warmed up to be good friends once more. Orion visited Jaguarin's home several   
times, and the same went for the jaguar. It was good to have someone besides Falcon to talk to, and it helped a   
great deal after some jerk in the village had told Orion just how much of an outsider he was. 

If this happened when Jaguarin was around, the jaguar often told the other cat off. When Jaguarin knew his   
friend before, before the Mutants had come and destroyed their village, it would have been the other way   
around; Orion had many times stood up for his quieter friend. But Orion had changed a good deal since then.   
Jaguarin almost mentioned it once, but decided not to. Orion surely knew he was changed. He didn't need to   
be reminded of it. 

Four months after he had settled in on Thundera, there was an landquake. A mild one, to be sure, but as this   
was not an area known for landquakes, people were unnerved by it., Some of the buildings, not meant to take an   
landquake of any kind, had been damaged, and people all wondered why it had happened. 

Orion had no telescreen in his home, of course, but there was a large one in the village square for people to   
watch. Currently, there was a news-program on, a special report, and many people stood in front of the screen. 

The shorter cat had to ask a few people if he could stand in front of them to see. 

"And today, just hours ago, A phenomenon shook Thundera to its very foundations. Claudon and Felis, known   
most famously for their landquakes, experienced tremors at level five, some of which lasted five full minutes.   
This, of course, was nothing unusual, and there were no injuries and no damage was taken. 

"The alarming part of all of this, is that cities such as Swift and Hopetown also felt these tremors, although not   
as severe. Geologists cannot find a reason for this, as there is nothing underneath the ground in these cities to   
have caused such a disturbance. The tremors were felt worldwide." 

There was a collective gasp from the small crowd watching the telescreen, and Orion himself rose a brow. A   
chill went down his back, and Falcon edged close by his side. Whether he was picking up on Orion's unease or   
feeling his own, Orion wasn't sure. He picked the cub up. 

The newswoman continued. 

"Authorities are urging citizens to not panic, that they are looking into the matter, and those who live in places   
with no fault lines beneath their towns, must expect some noise in their villages while geologists search for   
reasons for the tremors. As of now, no further information is available, but please stay alert for more updates   
on the landquakes." 

When the news report ended, and the telescreen story came back on, there were many murmurs among those   
who had stopped to watch. most the people drifted away, but Orion stayed there for a moment, looking around.   
The bank had been damaged (nothing stolen), and a few houses along the street showed slight damage.   
It was unnerving Orion thought. he had been hunting at the time, and the quakes had scared off all of his prey.   
It had been slim hunting to begin with, and he surmised that the animals had intuited the coming landquake. 

He and Jaguarin met that night, at Orion's home, and talked of the quakes. "It was weird," Jaguarin said. "I   
was once in Claudon when they had a mild one. It was creepy, but they all said that it was nothing compared to   
ones they'd had before. But here? In Swift?" 

Orion nodded, frowning. "I don't know much about geology, or whatever, but the news reporter said that there   
should be no reason in this town and some other towns, for the ground to shake." 

Jaguarin nodded. "No fault lines...breaks in the ground underneath the top layer of earth. dunno exactly how it   
works, though. Still, it's creepy." 

Orion nodded. "Yeah...it is." Days went by, and no one could find a cause for the quakes. this made many people uneasy, and the rumors flew. Orion never paid much attention to rumors. But still, it was creepy. He had never experienced a landquake on Plundaar, and wasn't even sure they had them all that often. If at all. 

Although, in the next month or so, there came no more landquakes, and people began to breathe a sign of relief. 

A few weeks later, Orion had something to distract him from the subject of landquakes anyway.   
While he was in town getting some supplies like bread and milk, he was approached by one of the local   
warriors, a decent if solemn man called Leodin. "Orion," he said. When the younger cat turned around, the   
warrior continued. "I have a message for you from the king." 

Orion blinked, and was suddenly glad he was the only one at the shop at the moment. "King Claudus?" he asked in surprise. 

The warrior smiled a bit. "Yes, that would be the one. When you've finished your shopping, go ahead and stop   
by the warrior's base, they'll tell you more there." 

"I'm not in trouble, am I?" 

The warrior laughed a bit and shook his head. "No." 

Orion grinned back. "Okay good. I'll be by once I drop my things off at home then." he watched Leodin leave   
and finished his shopping, thinking the whole time of what Claudus could possibly want to ask him about. more about Plundaar or Blackmoor, maybe? 

He dropped his things off back home, and took Falcon with him to the local warrior's base. He was admitted,   
and the head warrior, Ocedra, led him into the control room to talk, where she had to finish her watch. "Well,   
there's a bit of an odd situation," she said, smiling a bit. "Relax, it's nothing bad, only unusual. There is a   
Mutant from the planet of Plundaar, who has asked about obtaining permission to visit you here on Thundera." 

"Me?" Orion asked in surprise, but then he grinned. "A hyena? Hyder?" 

The woman smiled. "Yes, that would be him. He was met with a good deal of hostility and suspicion when   
his broadcast came through, naturally, but he seemed to take this in stride. He did manage to talk to the king,   
however, when the head of the military outpost recognized the name from your reports." 

Orion knew he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. "Will he be allowed to visit?" 

"Well, King Claudus wants to speak with you a bit on the matter. What will likely happen is you'll be allowed   
to visit for a few days in one of the military bases. You'll be allowed guest rooms there, but they won't want a   
Mutant in the towns. Good or not, people'd panic." 

The young cat nodded. "Understandable." he didn't think he wanted the villagers to know that he was visiting   
a Mutant, anyways. Some of them already scorned him enough. "When will he be allowed?" 

"Well, like I said, the king would like to speak of this to you. Likely in a couple of months or so Will you be   
able to go to the Cats' Lair during the week-end?" 

Orion nodded. "Of course!" 

"Good. You'll be allowed to speak to this Hyder then, via radio, and the details will be worked out then." 

Orion laughed, and stood up. "Great!" he said enthusiastically. Falcon also jumped up, howling a bit as he caught onto some of Orion's excitement. 

Ocedra couldn't help but laugh. "I'm glad you're happy about this," she said to the young man. "I'd advise   
against telling many people though," she said, serious again. "it's a time or war, and so many don't understand   
such things." 

"Boy, do I know that," said Orion disgustedly. "Some people in the village don't like me a whole lot because of   
how I talk, and how I sometimes dress." 

The woman nodded. "I know. Someday, Orion. Someday we'll have peace in this blasted system." 

Orion snorted. "Not any time soon," he said. then he shrugged. "But this is a start, I'll be happy with that." he told no one but Jags, and told him he must keep quiet about it. Jaguarin was disappointed that he would not be able to meet Hyder, but wished Orion good luck. 

One of the warriors gave Orion a ride into the main city of the planet, which wasn't all too far from his village.   
once telling the ThunderCats who he was and why he was there, Orion and Falcon were led in by the warrior. 

"Good luck," the man said to Orion as he was escorted into what looked for all the world like the Lair's control   
room! 

While he gaped in amazement and vaguely thanked the man, a tiger at the console smiled at him. "Hello, Orion," he said. "I am Tygra. King Claudus will be here soon." He saluted Orion in a formal way. 

Not knowing what else to do, Orion returned the gesture, feeling suddenly shy. "Hi..." he said. This was one of   
the ThunderCats! He was nude, which some Thunderians often preferred to do, and far taller than Orion was.   
He was a little intimidated, to tell the truth. 

Tygra chuckled. "Relax, Orion. We have visitors to the Lair often. Indeed, we even have school groups and   
camp groups come through here on tours on certain days." 

This made Orion a bit more relaxed, and he grinned. "Well it's an honor anyway," he said, with a bit of a   
laugh. He looked around curiously. he'd never been in many places that looked like this before, and he felt like   
a curious cub. 

Tygra nodded, then smiled down at Falcon, who was sniffing his kneecap curiously. He crouched to pet the   
cub. 

Orion and the ThunderCat talked a bit more before Claudus came in, and Tygra left to give them some privacy. "Hello," the king said in his dignified way. He smiled. 

"Hello, your Majesty," Orion said. "I dunno how I can thank you for this... I've been wanting to talk to him for   
a while." 

The king chuckled. "It is my pleasure, Orion. And please, call me Claudus. Everyone does." 

Turning a bit red, Orion nodded. Then remembering that Claudus was blind, he said, "Okay."   
"Please, sit down." 

Orion sat in one of the chairs that Claudus indicated, looking at the console in front of him. Amazing, he   
thought. He wondered what everything did. not that he'd understand much of it, mechanics was more what he   
was good at, but still. 

"I am very eager to end this war," Claudus said to Orion. "It will end, wars always do end. but I want this to be   
swift., Too many people are dying. Many of my officers have criticized me allowing this..." Claudus sighed and   
looked to Orion, who looked intently back. "But then what will the Plundaarians think? That we Thunderians are too good   
to speak to them...or that we hate them just like they hate us, so why should they talk peace? Someone has to break down and try to make amends." He shook his head, but then he chuckled. "And besides, it makes me happy to make my people happy. And I was told you were quite eager to speak to your old friend." 

Orion nodded. "Yes, sir...Claudus. I wasn't kidding when I said he's saved me from a lot of pain. And he's   
stuck by me through everything, no matter what." 

Claudus nodded. "Yes. We will be speaking to him shortly. He contacted Thundera, after much trying, and   
finally got through. I'm afraid they weren't very polite at first, but after a while, I was informed, and spoke to   
him. I will admit that he speaks very well, and I believe that he is sincere. Once we get the communication link going again, they will be contacting us here at the Cats' Lair." 

As if on cue, a light flashed at Orion's elbow, and the console beeped, making him jump, and draw back a bit.   
"Uh oh...did I touch something?" he asked, alarmed. 

Claudus chuckled. "No, someone is calling the Lair." he flipped a switch, seemingly without even hesitating   
due to his lack of sight, and a large face appeared on the screen. To Orion's surprise, it was the officer that had   
interrogated him when he'd first come to the planet. "My lord, the Mutant is finally connected. I will be sending shortly. The connection is not great, but it's steady." 

"Thank you," said Claudus with a smile." The lion nodded, and the screen went blank once more.   
Before either of them could say anything else, the screen flickered back into life, and there was a static-y picture   
of Hyder looking back at the both of them. Orion laughed, his face split into a wide grin. "Hyder!" he turned   
to Claudus. "How does the radio work?" 

He heard Hyder laugh, and looked back, as Claudus said softly, "Just speak, he will hear you." 

"You always did suck with electronics," Hyder said by way of greeting. 

Orion turned red and crossed his pinkies at Hyder. Then he looked guiltily towards Claudus, before   
remembering once again that he couldn't see what Orion was doing. Still, Hyder had said "suck" in front of a   
king! 

Fortunately, Claudus looked highly amused. 

"Oh...put a cork in it," Orion grumbled at Hyder, then grinned again, shaking his head. "You're something   
else. But it sure is great seeing your hairy face again! how are things going? Did anyone ever suspect what   
happened? Is Blackmoor dead? Is...is his miserable complex still there?" 

"Whoa, jeez, when'd you regress? Sheesh, you ask questions like a cub!" But Hyder was smiling as he said it. "Things are fine, and no, I haven't gotten into any trouble at all. Didn't even miss the ship." 

Orion looked to Claudus, suddenly feeling cold. "Um...is...is this a really secure frequency? Can just anyone   
listen in?" 

Claudus shook his head. "No. This is a secure channel, and there is more security on this communicator than anywhere on Thundera. Which is why you were brought here." 

Sighing with relief, Orion turned back. 

"No way would I talk about this if it wasn't secure," Hyder said to him. "Anyway, things are getting pretty bad   
here. We're getting bigger, though, Soon we'll be able to actually do more about this...crap." His facial   
expression darkened, and he went on. "As for Blackmoor, no one's heard from him. He's not back at his   
compound, but I get this feeling that he's not dead either. Cant; find any info on the bastard at all. Not like I   
haven't tried!" 

"That's too bad...' said Orion. 

The talk grew lighter after that, and after they'd talked for a while King Claudus and Hyder spoke, arranging   
details of his visit. It would be at one of the military bases, and they would be in high-security guest rooms   
there. Hyder would be allowed to stay for a few days, but his weapons were to be left in the ship. The ship was   
also to be searched, by scanner before he docked, and by hand when he landed. 

Orion was a bit tense, but relaxed when he saw that both Claudus and Hyder were both respectful and polite to   
each other. And there was no coldness or lack of sincerity in this courtesy. He was happy about it. 

It was arranged that Hyder would arrive in two standard months, and stay for four days. Four days! That was   
great! And they wouldn't have to worry about being found by Blackmoor or anything, either... Hyder told the   
king that he of course had coin to pay for his room and board, and seemed surprised when Claudus told him that   
he needn't worry about it, that meals would be provided if he liked, as he would be a guest. Hyder graciously   
thanked him, and the king smiled. 

His tone very serious, he said to Hyder, "If more of your people were like you , my friend, there would be no   
war." 

Hyder looked pleasantly taken aback, and finally smiled, saluting in the Plundaarian way. "I'm honored," he   
said simply. Then he turned to Orion. "Well I've got to go, anyway. This transmission's using up energy like   
you wouldn't believe, since it's not one of our normal off-planet hookups. Stupid radios... Anyways they said I   
can call again in a month or so, they'd be expecting it, and then I'll see ya a month after that!" 

Orion grinned once more, standing up from his chair. "You've got a deal!" Falcon howled, and Orion laughed.,   
"Falcon says hi, too. I think he's still mad that you put him in the storage compartment though." 

At this, the hyena laughed a loud. "He'll live," he said, waving down at the pup. "Anyway, I'll talk to you in a   
month." 

Orion grinned, and the screen went black. 

"He's a good man," Claudus said quietly. 

Orion nodded. "Yes. He's a very good man. one of the best." 

Chapter 50 

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	50. Chapter 50

50 

Before Orion's meeting with Hyder, there was another worldwide set of tremors, which had people talking   
worriedly for days. He missed the news report on it this time around, because it was time to hunt something for   
dinner, but he'd asked a few of the other Thunderians about it, and they'd told him willingly enough. Seems   
that this interesting new event had people willing to gossip. 

The most information he'd gotten on the subject happened to be from one of the builders that had helped build   
Orion's home. He had a shop in town with hi partner, Leona, and Orion worked there from time to time to earn   
coin for what he bought in the markets and shops. "I've been hearin' the strangest things," Nagiri said with a   
chuckle, shaking his head. "I've heard everything from core-dwelling sentients, to magnetic weaponry from Plundaar that's causin' these tremors." 

Despite himself, Orion had to laugh. "Magnetic? Core dwelling...people?" 

"Yep, that's about it. The thing I've heard sayin' that makes about the most sense is that there's some kind of   
geothermal reactions goin' on beneath the surface of the planet. Don't think it'll come to much, myself, but then again, that's what the expert say, too." Nagiri laughed. "You know what it means if an expert says somethin', don't you?" 

Suspecting, Orion grinned. "What?" 

"It means the exact opposite's bein' true. In that case, the world's gonna end tomorrow." He winked, and moved on.   
Orion shook his head. Nagiri was a strange one, no doubt about it. 

But he didn't have long to dwell on this, as his visit with Hyder was coming on fast. he'd talked to him on e   
more and told him about the landquakes, and Hyder had been just as puzzled as the Thunderians were. "Planet   
wide?" he'd said. "That's just weird. Hope they're keepin' an eye on that." 

"Oh they are," Orion assured them. "Big time." 

But now was the day for the visit. Orion was told that Hyder would likely be questioned by some of the officers   
(and he was assured that Hyder had quite willingly agreed to this beforehand) about various things on Plundaar.   
Hyder apparently had said ahead of time that he'd not give anything away that might endanger his people and   
his planet, but he would gladly tell anything else. 

This bugged Orion a little bit, because he felt they were taking advantage of Orion and Hyder's visit, but at least   
this would be done beforehand, and their four days would be theirs alone. 

And when he thought of what the Mutants had done to his village...he certainly couldn't blame them for wanting   
to get as much information on them as possible. 

Orion and Falcon were escorted onto a high-security military base. not the lair; despite everything, they still   
hadn't wanted one of the "enemy" so near their king. Orion tried not to be too annoyed at that; after all, they   
did not know as well as Orion how decent of a man Hyder was. They didn't have his certainty that if Hyder said   
he wouldn't; harm the king, that he wouldn't; even try. 

He forgot all of this as he walked into the docking bay, where Hyder had just landed. The young man stepped   
out of his ship (a civilian make), and Orion noticed he did not have his weapon. 

Hyder's face broke into a huge grin, and he laughed, stepping forward and grabbing Orion into a strong embrace.   
Grinning himself, Orion returned the embrace, squeezing the hyena tightly for a moment before drawing back. 

"You've got no idea how good it is to see you again," Hyder said to Orion. 

"I think I can make a guess," Orion laughed. 

Hyder willingly enough gave his bag over to an officer to search it. At least they didn't have their weapons   
draw, Orion thought, although there were four or five of them in there. Orion's bag, also packed for four days of   
being away from home, was also searched. 

When the bags were pronounced safe, Orion and Hyder were led to a corridor with "Guest corridor" marked   
above it in yellow paint. "There's no one else visiting at the moment," the grim-faced officer said, showing   
them a pair of adjacent rooms. "There are small bathrooms in these quarters. There is a gym here that you will   
be allowed to use if you like, and there's a fenced in yard that our high security guests are allowed to go into.   
Those and the cafeteria will be the only places you're allowed in. Someone will be by later to show you where   
things are." Without waiting for a reply. the officer left. 

Orion rolled his eyes. 

"That cat's got a face like a monkian," Hyder said quietly, and Orion laughed. 

"Hey now, don't insult the monkians," Orion said with a grin, and it was Hyder's turn to laugh. "Well let's check these out."   
The rooms were big enough, and had a bed, a closet, a chest of drawers, and a small telescreen. 

"Hey, there's Tel-S's in here," Hyder said with a grin. "Cool. We can watch the screen if we want to." There   
was also an intercom by the doors. He had a little black box in his hands, but Orion was too interested in hearing about what had been happening in his friend's life to ask about it. 

"Sounds like a plan." 

The two friends talked for an hour or so in Plundaarian, while they waited for their guided tour. Lounging on   
the bed, Hyder told Orion all what had been going on with the organization, and how they were faring. It had   
grown, even in just a few months, and Hyder expected its numbers to grow. "People are tired of the   
persecution," Hyder said to Orion, shaking his head. "They're tired of the tyranny, and their tired of the slavery.   
A lot of them were slaves themselves, and know what it's like." Hyder grinned, and leaned close to Orion.   
"And we've got some more financial backing, which we sorely needed. And guess who?" 

Not able to think of who it could be that he was familiar with, shook his head. 

"Lady Hintracrii." 

Orion's eyes widened, and he laughed. "You're kidding!" 

Hyder shook his head and leaned back against the wall again. "Nope! Talked to her a few times.." He smiled. 

"She remembers you, Orion. I told her what had happened to you...and about how you'd swum that river and   
everything, and you shoulda seen how proud she was of you for that." 

Orion beamed "Wow...I'm really honored she remembers me," he said. "I'm glad she's helping you out." 

"Yeah, and we've even gotten a few more that managed to get away from Blackmoor's complex ere." Hyder   
laughed. "Seems they got quite an underground there now! After we escaped, and people saw that it was possible..."   
Better news could not have been said. Orion laughed long over that, and finally lay on his back on the bed, his   
belly sore from laughing. "Hyder that's the best thing you could've said to me!" he exclaimed. 

"Yeah." Hyder's expression sobered a bit. "Blackmoor's not dead though," he said. "I finally got the information on what happened to him." 

"Aw, fuck." 

"Yeah, that's what I said. It was close though, Orion. You sent him to the hospital with that beating you gave   
him. Seems he was actually in a coma for a month or so, and was a couple of week recovering even from that." 

Orion winced. "Hope he wasn't too hard on everyone when he got back." 

Hyder shook his head. "No According to a couple of the adults that are with us now, he wasn't really harder than   
normal on anyone. I figure that as mad as he was, if he let his temper take over that he'd kill people, and he   
really can't afford to lose anyone." 

Orion nodded. "Phiron's part of that underground, isn't he?" he guessed. 

"Right in one. I hear there's some taskmasters who are actually a part of it too, but I don't know if that's true   
or not. 

Orion looked satisfied. "Good." Then a rather unpleasant grin surfaced on his features. "I hope he was in   
pain," he said savagely. "I hope he felt pain while he was in that coma. I hope he felt it when he came out of   
it...that bastard." 

"You and me both." 

This talk was interrupted by a knock on the door. It was one of the other officers, who had been assigned to show the guests around. There were little maps on the walls, he explained, labeling where everything was. There was Basic and Thunderian. 

She showed them where the gym was, the cafeteria, and the yard, which turned out to be a pleasant little garden   
type place with a fountain and trees and some flowers. It was covered top, sides, and bottom by wire fencing,   
and there were cameras. but other than that, it looked quire pleasant. 

She told them that it was time for lunch. There would be only officers and other employees there, but no one   
would bother them, as they all had their orders. 

They ate lunch quickly in the cafeteria, after being told they weren't allowed to bring the trays to their rooms. It   
was against the rules of the base. Anything they got from the vending machines along the wall, however, were   
permitted. 

After lunch, they went out into the yard. Hyder had until then seen only the inside of ships, transports, and   
bases. Orion wanted to show him, like he remembered wanting to do all those years ago, the brilliant blue sky,   
and the bright red sun of the planet. He very sad, remembering when they talked of escaping and coming to   
live as brothers here on Thundera. But at least now he could show his friend the sky. 

Once outside, Hyder closed his eyes, wincing, and Orion grinned. He remembered that feeling! 

"How do you see on this planet?" Hyder demanded, opening his eyes the smallest crack. 

Orion cackled, looking rather gleeful at his friend's predicament. "Hey, you get used to it. When I first came   
here, I couldn't see much outside, either. You'll be fine in a bit. here, let's go over in the shade." 

"Jeez...I think I'll melt or something here," Hyder griped, and let Orion lead him into the shade. "Okay...that's   
a little better." 

Still, it was several minutes before Hyder could look up at the cloudless blue sky, and he gaped. "I've...seen it   
in books," he said finally. "But those pictures...wow. I'm not sure that you could even convey this in a picture." 

"Pretty cool," Orion said, nodding his head. He smiled a bit sadly. "Remember when we talked about coming   
back here when we escaped?" he said. "I wanted so bad to show you this sky." 

"Yeah," Hyder said, looking back down to Orion. "We were talking about scavenger hunts." 

Closing his eyes, Orion nodded, and laughed. "Yeah...I remember how I wouldn't say "bra" aloud. At least not   
so other people but you could hear it." He looked at Hyder. "I missed you Hyder, that's for sure. Got your   
letter." he smiled. "And the pictures. Oh, that reminds me, I have a current one of me to give you, it's back in   
my bag." 

Hyder smiled, hugging the smaller man. Orion let a few tears slip, but then looked at Hyder in shocked surprise   
when the hyena slugged him in the arm. "You're it." Then he took off running. 

Orion blinked for several moments and then laughed, calling Hyder a rather uncomplimentary word in Plundaarian. He tore after him. 

The two men spent the rest of the day playing childish games, living a bit of the childhood that was denied them   
when they were actually children. The soldier that came out to tell them that dinner was nearly ready to be   
served in the cafeteria, and that the yard was closed after dinner, looked at them a bit strangely as they raced   
past him, chasing each other. 

Panting, Orion and Hyder trudged towards the door. They were both tired, but had grins on their faces. The soldier shrugged, let them in, and locked the door. 

"How do you know there's no bugs or cameras in the room?" Orion asked Hyder after dinner. They'd asked if   
they could being a cot in so they could bunk together like they used to, and it had been granted. They were going to take turns using the "real" bed. Orion now lay on the cot. 

Hyder grinned and pulled out a little black, thin box. It was about as wide as his palm, and twice as long as his   
palm's length. "A mini-computer," he said, opening it up. There was a tiny keyboard and a screen, and a few   
buttons and levers. Orion laughed. 

"That's neat!' he said as Hyder turned it on. 

"Yeah, it's one of the latest models. You can play games on this thing, scan for a pretty wide distance for such   
a small machine. There's a mike for the little radio transmitter but it takes too much power, so I don't use it a   
lot." He looked at Orion. "I told them what it was and they said they'd allow it. I scanned the room when we   
came in." 

"Oh, that's what that was!" Orion said. "Good, that makes me feel better. I wouldn't want anyone hearing some of this stuff.   
Hyder nodded. "It also beeps loudly if someone's been outside the door for longer than they should, too." 

Hyder and Orion spent much of their time together talking of old times and whether this person had ever gotten his freedom, or if that taskmaster was dead yet. Things along those lines. They spoke quietly of Hyder's organization, and how that was going, and Orion was pleased that it was going so well. As Hyder had said, they had many more members now, and more financial backing. "I think that we'll soon be able to stand up to the government and openly declare what we think. Openly recruit. I mean, they can't kill all of us!" 

At this Orion had bitten his lip. "Hyder, you be careful doing that. You're one of the leaders. If they did kill anyone, it would be you. 

"What, are you crazy? We wouldn't do that until we had enough people that the government would have to think very carefully about going after us. And even then we'd have safeguards and the like to protect everyone." 

Orion had nodded at this, his mind put at ease. 

"One thing worries me, though. The armies have been talking of working together. The three main factions on   
Plundaar." 

Orion raised a brow. "The monkians, and jackalmen..." 

Hyder nodded. "And the reptilians. If that happens, they will be a good deal harder to deal with." Hyder   
grinned. "But then none of them are hyenas, so there's not a whole lot to worry about!" 

Orion snorted. "Yeah, right." 

Chapter 51 

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	51. Chapter 51

51 

The next day, Hyder and Orion spent the day much like the last. They talked, they played children's games   
outside, the ate the questionable food in the cafeteria. 

On day three, Orion griped that the visit was already half over, and Hyder griped too, just because he could.   
"More than half over," Hyder corrected. "Because I am leaving in the evening tomorrow." Orion nodded   
glumly. "Well, at least I've enjoyed myself a great deal," Hyder said. "I don't have to worry about   
responsibilities, and shit. I needed the break." 

Orion grinned. "I bet Mr. Bigshot," he said. He snorted when Hyder drew himself up and tried to look   
all-important. "You're not that important, my friend," Orion said with a laugh. 

Hyder sighed. "You deflate my ego...some friend you are." 

With a chuckle, Orion put his arm around the hyena. "Trust me, it's plenty big enough to survive." 

Hyder gave Orion and dirty look and likely would have said a few not-so-nice things about him, except they   
were interrupted by a rather ominous rumble. They were outside in the yard again, and Hyder frowned.   
"What...was that a landquake?" he asked Orion. 

Orion frowned, then nodded. "Yeah, I think so." 

"That's...that's weird," Hyder said. "I've never felt the ground shake like that before. That's unnatural." 

"I kinda thought so. Come on, let's get inside, see if they know what's going on." 

Hyder nodded, but as they began to walk in, another quake shook the ground, this time increasing in severity   
that the ground heaved, and both men were thrown to the ground. It lasted a good long while, and Orion   
flinched as one of the smaller trees in the yard fell over, and the fence on one side twisted upwards. 

Attempting to stand was futile until the shaking abated, and then they were both up and running inside. they   
almost literally ran into the soldier that had shown them their rooms. "You two okay?" he asked tersely. 

Both had been a bit scraped up, but neither was really hurt. "Yeah..." Orion said. then his eyes widened. It   
seemed part of the building itself had collapsed. "Jeez..." 

The soldier nodded. "Good." Without another word, he rushed past once more. 

"We should see if anyone was hurt," Orion said. "Maybe we can help." 

Hyder nodded; the two men followed the soldier, who seemed to be heading towards what had been the control   
room, and was now a pile of rubble. 

There was a growing number of officers and soldiers approaching, and they all looked very upset. "What's   
wrong?" Orion asked one who had paused to catch his breath. 

"There's like five guys stuck in there!" he exclaimed. "We could use a hand getting this crap off them!" 

Others were beginning to move parts of walls, and stone from the building. "Come on, Hyder let's give a   
hand." 

"No problem," Hyder said, and they both stepped forward to help. 

Orion noticed that Hyder was getting some grateful looks, some suspicious ones, and yet other surprised ones,   
but no one said a word, only concentrated on the task. 

It took a few hours, but with everyone working on it, there was soon a big enough space to get the injured   
people out. The whole had not collapsed, apparently, which had been lucky, and everyone was alive and   
conscious. Two had broken bones, and one a bad concussion, but otherwise, they'd taken only minor injuries. 

After the excitement was over, the building was evacuated. The dorms and guest dorms had not been touched,   
and so the visitors were allowed to quickly get their things before they had to get out of the building. Hyder, not   
wanting to freak the general population out, stayed close to everyone else. 

Emergency squads arrived, and for a while, there was too much going on for anyone to say much. The injured   
people were taken to a nearby hospital, and transports began arriving to take people to different bases. After   
things had begun to get organized, the officer in charge of the base came over to Orion and Hyder, who were   
dusty and dirty. he held his hand out to both of them. "I thank you for your help, gentlemen," he said, speaking   
to Hyder as much as Orion. "It was much appreciated." 

Orion grinned a bit. "No problem," he said, feeling a little timid. 

Hyder was less so. He nodded courteously and shook the man's hand. "My pleasure," he said. "I'm glad they   
weren't hurt worse." 

"Yeah, me too." The officer sighed. "I wish I knew where these gods-damned quakes are coming from." He   
shook his head then looked back to Orion and Hyder. "Well anyway, thanks once more. There's a transport   
over there that's taking a few of the soldiers to a base in a neighboring town, if you'd care to hop it." 

"We'll do that, sir, thanks," Hyder said. The officer nodded, and left. 

"Wow," Orion said with a bit of a laugh. "Guess you made a good impression." 

"Guess so," Hyder said with a laugh. "Come on, I need a shower. Let's get on that transport." 

It ended up that the base they were taken to was a bit smaller, and they had to share a two-man room. but since   
they'd been bunking together anyway, neither minded. It also turned out it was far more lenient security wise.   
The yard had a fence around it, but it could be easily climbed if one were inclined. Thee weren't nearly as   
many places that were restricted, and people seemed a bit less rigidly militant. 

"I think I like this one better," Orion said. "And this place doesn't seem to have taken much damage." 

"If any," Hyder agreed. "I call the shower first." 

"Not if I _get_ there first," Orion countered, and there was a mad dash for the bathroom. 

Hyder cheats, Orion thought a moment later, sitting on his tail end on the floor. Hyder knew all those military   
fighting throws... An extended foot, a quick straight-am shove, and Orion was on the floor. The young cat   
stuck his tongue out at the door and waited his turn. 

The Mutant visitor ended up staying a couple days longer than was planned, because resources were busy   
tending wounded and repairing damage. Neither he nor Orion minded much, especially since Hyder was   
allowed to contact his "rebel" base and let them know what was up. He also told them to let his military outfit   
know that he'd be a few days late due to unavoidable circumstances. His superiors didn't know where he had   
taken his vacation, and he wasn't about to tell them now. 

When it was time for Hyder to leave, Orion hugged him tight. "You be careful, brother. I don't want to hear   
that you got shot by the military or something stupid like that." 

"I will if you will." Hyder grinned. 

"It's a deal." 

The two friend waved as Hyder got onto the transport that would take him up to the space-bound outpost, where   
his ship was docked. Orion was offered a ride back to his city, but to their surprise, Orion said that he would   
walk. 

"You...realize that it's at least a week's walk back to Swift?" one of the officers asked. 

Orion smiled. "Yeah, I know, but a lot of it's forest and plains. I'm kind of accustomed to that kind of   
thing...it'll clear my head a bit." 

The Thunderian officer was reluctant, but finally relented. "Well at least let me set ya off with a few supplies,"   
she said to him. Then she grinned. "Call it thanks for helping us back at the other base." 

And so, with Orion's bag full with a few days' worth of water and food, and his head filled with information   
about where streams were and where hunting was allowed, Orion set off. 

Chapter 52 

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	52. Chapter 52

52 

Orion had a lot of time to think as he walked. It did help to clear his mind, and he was grateful for the solitude.   
The attitudes of the cats had noticeably changed after Hyder helped with the caved-in control room, he was very   
happy to have noted. Maybe through people like Hyder, there could be peace again between the Mutants and   
the Thunderians. He could hope. 

When he did finally get home, something was wrong. He could sense it, and so could Falcon. He had come to   
Swift from the east, where the forest was that he lived in. Frowning, he increased his pace until he reached his   
home. 

His eyes widened when he saw it. While he was away, someone had vandalized his one-room dwelling. Words   
that he couldn't read were daubed on the outside in paint, and even carved in with a knife or something similar.   
Growling slightly, he set his pack down, and approached. Falcon's ears were laid down against his head and he   
was snarling softly. 

As he got closer, he found he could read a word here and there. Go home was one phrase that he worked out.   
He managed to work out the word "traitor". He did not need to read further to get the idea of what the words   
all said. Someone in the village hated him enough to violate his territory. 

He notice, also, that his tanning racks had been splintered into dozens of pieces, and tossed all over the forest   
floor. Orion growled and punched the wall of his home, and then went inside. 

Even the inside had not been spared. There paint here, too, and his bedding smelled like it had been urinated   
on. His milk jug was smashed, and what belongings he did have here had been painted on or broken. He was   
glad that when he traveled, he kept most of his stuff with him in his bag. "I'd just love to see what they would   
done with my pictures of Hyder and Tamarin," he growled aloud., his fists clenched. Not to mention Hintracrii. 

Disgusted, Orion walked out of his house and sat down on his log-bench, after righting it. At least that hadn't   
been painted on! Putting his head in his hands, he just sat for a moment, suddenly feeling tired and sorrowful.   
Even back home, he was an outcast. Orion felt like crying, but instead stood up, his eyes narrowed. 

Falcon came over and whimpered, and Orion pet him for a few seconds. "Come on, kiddo. Let's go report   
this." He picked up his backpack and headed into town. 

"You're joking." Ocedra had been on duty at the local base when Orion had asked permission to enter and   
speak with her. When he told her what happened, she was aghast. 

"No." Orion's face was grim, and the pupils of his eyes were dilated with fury. 

Ocedra sighed deeply. "I can't believe that... Of all the childish, mean-spirited..." She frowned. "All right.,   
my shift's about over anyway. I'll get someone to take over and bring one of the warriors with us to check it   
out." 

Orion nodded. "Thanks." He relaxed a little bit, knowing that at least most of the warriors of the village liked   
him and Falcon. 

"You think that they found out I was visiting Hyder?" 

"It's possible," Ocedra asked. She and Orion were in a hovercar being driven by a second warrior, heading for   
Orion's little house. "It's also possible that they had planned on doing this all along, and your long absence   
gave them the opportunity." 

"I'm just glad I've got my books and pictures in my bag," Orion said. "I like to keep the things I have from   
Plundaar with me." 

Ocedra nodded. "It's a good thing you did. They'd be destroyed for sure." 

The rest of the ride was silent. 

When they arrived, Falcon went over to sit on the bench and just whimpered softly. There were bad feelings,   
and bad things around, and he wasn't happy with them. And plus, a stranger had urinated in their territory, and   
that made him mad. 

"Oh for Jaga's sake," Ocedra growled, upon seeing what had been painted. 

"Yeah," Orion said. "I can't read most of it, but I understood enough to get the idea." 

Ocedra sighed. "I am so sorry, Orion. This shouldn't have happened." She turned to the other warrior. "Come   
on, let's see if we can't figure out who did this." 

While the two warriors investigated, inside and out, Orion sat down with Falcon and drew the cub into his lap.   
Boy, would Orion love to find out who'd done this. He'd do it back! 

A couple of hours later, Ocedra and the warrior came back outside, and looked a bit pleased. She had a clear   
plastic bag with Orion's bedding in it. "They made a mistake, with this," she said, indicating the wet bedding.   
"If they've got any kind of medical records at all, even a physical from their school days, we'll find out who did   
this." 

Orion stood up, nodding. "Good," he said, a growl in his voice. "Those miserable..." he finished the phrase   
with a Plundaarian curse, not able to think of anything worse than that in Basic." 

"Dunno what you said," Ocedra said, "But I think I probably agree. Anyway, we're going to take this back to   
the base and run the DNA through the computer." She paused. "You gonna be all right?" 

Orion nodded. "Yeah. I just have to clean up and build some new tanning racks." He looked at his house and   
shook his head. "And start trying to remove this filth." 

"Sounds good. I'll come by later and help ya if you'd like." 

Orion smiled for the first time since he'd gotten home to discover the vandalism. "Thanks...I appreciate it." 

"No problem." And with that, Ocedra and the warrior left. 

Orion spent half the night scrubbing out the room of his home. He had opened the one large window and the   
door, and was airing the place out as he worked. He scrubbed every inch of his bed area with the harshest soap   
he could find in town, and very soon, it no longer smelled like urine. he was glad that the builders had coated   
the wood they'd built the house out of with a thick protective varnish, else he might have never gotten it clean. 

He did manage to get a lot of the paint off, from both the inside and outside of the building, for the same   
reason. The craved words were a bit of a different story, Those would have to be sanded out. 

He also discovered that the bathroom had been urinated on as well, and sighed as he began scrubbing that too.   
once all was done, and he was finished for the night, Orion bathed himself and washed out his clothing   
thoroughly. Too tired to hunt that night, he went into town with his backpack along with him, and bought   
some food supplies. After he'd eaten dinner, Ocedra did stop by as she'd promised. 

"Wow," he said, looking the house over. "You've gotten most of it done." 

Orion nodded. Cleaning was one thing he'd learned to do fast and well, living in slavery. It came in handy   
once in a while. "Sit down," he invited. "Take some meat if you'd like." 

"Thank you, I've not eaten yet. Been putting the samples through a few tests." 

"Anything?" 

"We'll we have a clear sample of DNA from the urine," she said, "and came up with a few matches. The   
warriors are going to check them out tomorrow. For now, a guard's been posted a ways away from your house   
in case anyone tries something a little more malicious than vandalism." 

Surprised, Orion looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks," he said to her." 

She shook her head. "Not necessary. That honestly shouldn't have happened, and whoever did it will be   
punished to the extent they're allowed by law." 

Orion scowled. "Good." 

"But until then, I've brought sanders, ladders, varnish, and lights to work by," Ocedra said with a grin. "Let's   
see if we can't get this house looking like it should." 

After a few hours' worth of cleaning, during which Falcon ran around trying to help, Orion's home smelled of   
fresh varnish and sawdust. Ocedra and Orion stood back looking rather pleased with their work. "Thanks,"   
Orion said again. 

"It was my pleasure. Anyways, we'll know tomorrow what's up, and I'll let you know what's going on." 

Ocedra came back to talk to Orion the next morning, after he had finished breakfast. "Well, we found out who   
did it," she said to Orion. 

Having gotten his full attention, Ocedra talk him what had happened that morning, as she bent down to pet   
Falcon on the head. Turned out that the same people who openly scorned Orion in the town had mostly   
comprised the six man team of vandals, and they'd simply gone in with pain and daggers and vented their   
feeling's on Orion's home. "Two of 'em are women, and four of them are men. A married couple, the others   
aren't related." She paused, letting this sink in. "There'll be a trial of course in a week or so, and you'll be   
allowed to face them then. Then probably a jail term of a few months or so. Unfortunately, vandalism doesn't   
merit any harsher punishment than that." 

Orion listened carefully, and then nodded. "Okay,' he said, smiling a bit tiredly. "Thanks, Ocedra." he shook   
his head. 

"They'll be kept in jail until the trial, so I'll probably be pulling the guard today." 

"That's okay," Orion said. "I think that I'll be getting a locked cabinet or something to keep my favorite things   
in though, my photos and the like." 

Ocedra thought for a moment, and then grinned. "Make a floor safe," she suggested. "I'm sure that Nagasi'll   
probably be glad to help ya out there." 

Orion grinned, thinking of the builder that had helped with his house, and whom Orion sometimes worked for.   
"That's an idea," he said. 

"Well anyway, I've got to get to my patrol. Good luck, Orion." 

During the week before the trail, Orion did manage to get his tanning racks rebuilt, and bought some new   
bedding and a new milk jug. He visited Jaguarin to tell him about the visit with Hyder and about the vandalism.   
Jaguarin wasn't happy to hear about the latter. 

"Say what?? you've got to be joking! They pissed in your bed?" 

Orion curled his lip, sitting back on Jaguarin's couch. "Yeah. Bastards." he sighed. "even on Thundera I   
don't fit in, Jaguarin. I don't fit in on Plundaar because I'm a cat, and gee, everyone wants to enslave me. I   
don't fit in here because one, I'm a mutt, and two, I talk and act like a Mutant." he sighed. "I told you what   
happened the last time I met Blackmoor. Hyder told me that he didn't end up dead. it's too bad. He needs to die   
for all this shit he put me through." 

Jaguarin nodded sympathetically. "Yeah...you're right, Orion." he sighed. "Hell, even I do a double take when   
I see how different you sound and act. Not that I care, but it's not something I am used to experiencing." 

"Yeah, but you don't paint shit on my house because of it." 

Jaguarin shook his head. "No, I don't." He sighed. "Well at least the warriors prosecuted. It could be worse,   
the warriors could be on their side." 

Orion nodded. "Tell me about it. Some don't care for me, but most are friendly., and Ocedra's a good woman." 

"She really is." 

Chapter 53 

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	53. Chapter 53

53 

The trial wasn't anything huge, and for that Orion was grateful. He wasn't entirely surprised that he recognized all of them, and even knew some of their names. They were glaring at him throughout the whole trial, which intimidated him somewhat, but he still went up in front of everyone and told them what happened. Ocedra also testified, as well as the vandals. All of them flatly denied having done such a thing. 

But since they'd all taken a turn urinating on Orion's bedding, they were solidly convicted of their vandalism. Serves you right, you bastards, Orion thought when the trial was over. Their childishness had been their downfall, and how appropriate was that? He watched them being led from the courthouse towards the transport that would lead them to the town jail. 

Orion was a bit worried, though. The townspeople that had come to watch seemed to be more disposed towards the other Thunderians than Orion. He supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, though; after all, he was an outsider. While most people were friendly enough towards him, when it came down to him against real Thunderians, he supposed that the other townspeople wouldn't be on his side. 

He just hoped that it wouldn't lead to more violence. 

As it happened, there were no more attacks on Orion's home, and a few of the villagers even apologized to him for it happening, and Orion was pleased about that. The vandals had all gotten 6 months' worth of jail time , except for one man, who had young children. He only got three, so that his mate would not be so long tending the children alone. Orion was fine with that. 

He did put up with scorn from some of the other Thunderians, though, the ones that hadn't apologized. One day, fed up with it and in a rather surly mood, Orion turned on the woman who had spat her words at him. She'd asked him how he felt, having put a father in jail, and how his children felt, having their daddy in prison where they couldn't see him. 

"Seems to me," Orion said, "that I've done those children a favor. Their father is a biased, childish, mean-spirited cur, and it's probably doing them good to be away from his influence. Try and remember that _he_ committed the crime, not me!" And with that, he turned and stalked away. It hadn't been such a great retort, but at least it got the woman off his back. 

Truth was, he usually only quietly walked away, and no one was used to him turning on them like that. The woman said no more after that day. 

Eventually, thought, things went back to normal. The Thunderian people had a far more pressing issue to worry about. 

The tremors were getting worse. Now it was two, three times a month. Emergency crews in the cities and villages worked overtime, and were always on call now, especially in the cities where earthquakes were not known. More than once, Orion had been knocked to the ground by a particularly viscous quake, and once had had to nearly tackle poor Falcon to keep him from being crushed by a giant of a tree, finally defeated by the heaving ground. 

People were scared. 

As the months passed, they became more and more frequent, and the newscasters had been giving no information. Many people thought that this was because there was something going on that the government didn't want the people to know, but the truth was, they had no explanation. These tremors had the experts totally baffled, which was the most disturbing thing of all. All of the normal causes had been ruled out, and they couldn't find any reason whatsoever why the planet was suddenly heaving and bucking every week now. 

Astronomers had been consulted, as people began thinking that the unthinkable might have happened, that Thundera had somehow begun to slip its orbit, but no, that was not the case. Test upon test was performed, and nothing was discovered. 

When Orion had been back on Thundera for seven months or so, four months after he had visited Hyder, the local war-raid alarm went off, signaling everyone into the town square. The mayor was there, and the warriors from the local guild. All looked very grim. "I have a very serious announcement today," the mayor announced. 

All ears listened, and all mouths were quiet. School and work had both been let out for the day for this announcement, which signaled something very serious. 

Standing at the edge of the crowd, Orion listened. 

"As everyone knows, these landquakes have been getting worse and worse." Even as he spoke, a minor tremor rumbled beneath the ground. Everyone tensed for a moment, but it amounted to nothing more than a bit of a shake. Those little quakes had been happening several times a month. "Scientists have been working day and night on the cause, and have found nothing. Whatever is happening, it is happening deep within the core of Thundera." 

Whispers rustled throughout the crowd until the mayor asked again for their attention. "You must heed my words, my people," he said. "Because what I am about to say will affect the whole planet. The king himself will be addressing the entire planet, very soon, via the telescreen, and it is for this announcement that I have gathered you here." He paused. "This announcement will be taking place in a half an hour, so please stay here in the town square and listen." 

As there was some time before this mystery announcement, people talked. Orion wandered over to where Jaguarin and his family sat, looking worried, and sat down with them. 

"This is bad, Orion," Jaguarin said to his old friend. "This is just...bad." 

Orion nodded. Chills were going up and down his spine, and the fur on his back refused to lie flat. Even Falcon felt it, and lay with his ears down, as close to Orion as he could get. Orion picked him up and held him in his lap. 

When the time came for the newscast, the mayor called for quiet. A grim-faced Claudus appeared on the screen, and the volume was turned up. "My people of Thundera," he began. Everyone was silent, listening. Orion could see that hundreds of people had shown up at the Cats' Lair to listen to this announcement in person. 

Claudus continued. "We have studied these landquakes now for months. We cannot find a reason for them." He paused. "But our scientists have determined this: if they continue to get worse, if the disturbances within Thundera's core continue to worsen..." Claudus sighed, turning his head downward. When he "looked" back up, Orion could see the sorrow and the weariness in his face, even without the eyes to reflect these things. "I'm afraid that Thundera may be destroyed." 

Here, the king paused for a good long time, because not only did the people there erupt into a barrage of denials, exclamations of horror, and the like, Claudus knew that this would be happening every place that listened to this announcement. 

Orion's eyes had widened, and Jaguarin's jaw dropped. 

The mayor yelled for quiet, until the people simmered down, still looking at each other in disbelief. A few moments later, Claudus continued. "Evacuation vehicles are being sent to the cities as fast as possible, and more have been in construction now for a month. I know that many of you have your own ships, and if this is so, you must use them. Stasis pods are a wise idea, in case our destination ends up being somewhere far away." Claudus nodded his head. "Yes. We may have to leave Thundera and seek out a new life on another planet. We have no destinations in mind yet, but I want everyone to prepare. Those boarding government ships will be allowed one bag per person. Pets will be allowed if they will fit into a suspension capsule with their owners. If not, they must be left behind." Claudus waited a moment, then added one more thing. "Each town's mayor will be giving further instructions throughout the months, and I will continue to keep all of you updated as much as possible. For now, my people, prepare for an exodus from Thundera. And the gods be with you." 

The rest of the day, most of the village wandered about in a state of shock. Orion himself felt like he'd been run down by an entire Fistpounder. He and Jaguarin's family talked about it all day, and wondered if it would really come down to a mass exodus. 

The king's announcement was replayed five different times, to make sure everyone would catch it. Those that managed to miss all five still did not go ignorant, as the mayors of the town made sure that the citizens knew. It was in that night's newspaper edition, and whispered by every citizen of the planet. 

Could a whole planet really be evacuated? 

Apparently so. The next day, a ship was moved into Swift and set under heavy guard at the warrior's guild. So big it could transport 200 hundred people in stasis, and more were in construction. How much time did they have? No one could tell for sure. Maybe a month, maybe a year. The tremors had been getting steadily worse, but that was about the only thing that was consistent about it. The rapidity with which it worsened was highly erratic , and sometimes it seemed to be tapering off completely, only to rock the planet with an especially violent quake. 

As the week progressed, and the news reports bode no good, the shock wore off, and panic began. There ere actually riots in the larger cities, with people competing in the stores to get supplies for their families, especially those with their own ships. The mayors and warriors did their best to keep these incidences from occurring, but a whole planet was panicking, wondering if their family would get off the planet alive. 

But eventually the panic subsided, and people were left with a grim sense of anticipation. As the weeks went by, people watched very carefully for news reports on the tremors. They had seemed to level off...for now, but geologist reports gave no relief, only foreboding. Thundera was beginning to rip itself apart, and no one knew why. 

People tried to live as normal a life as possible, especially for the sake of the children. They knew something was wrong, and the smallest ones didn't understand what. They needed a good healthy dose or normalcy. People went to work and school, and tried to do what they normally did every day. 

But there was a dire sense of waiting over the whole village...and the whole planet. 

Orion had begun to do what everyone else had. He had taken out his bag from his new floor safe (a wooden compartment beneath his bed area that revealed only when he pulled up the correct floorboard) and gone through it. He took everything out and surveyed it. 

He had few remnants from Plundaar. Only three books, some photographs, his stone-game and the clothing (now ripped and torn) that Hintracrii had given him. Those took up a third of his pack's space. He added his tan shorts jumpsuit, vowing to wear the bulkier clothing on the ship, to make room. 

Trying not to think of the tiny suspension capsules, he looked through his home and packed the things that he would either need, or that meant something to him. A current picture of Hyder, one of Jags, and one of Jags and his family. A supply of dried meat, sealed tightly in thick plastic wrapping. Some dehydrated space rations...for Orion had no idea where he was going. After some thought, he put in a thin blanket, the mess kit he'd gotten to make cooking a lot easier, his medical kit, and a small electronic game he had purchased in the town. He intended to borrow Jaguarin's camera and take a few photos of Thundera, and take those along too. 

There was something very sorrowful about packing a bad thus. It always meant that one was leaving a place they had been a while, whether a pleasant vacation spot...or their home. Orion put an arm around Falcon, then stood up. "You hungry? I'm not... I think I won't hunt tonight." He went outside and retrieved some of the meat from the previous night's kill, which he was drying and preserving. He gave some to Falcon for his meal, then went back inside. 

Two months later, making it nine that Orion had been back home, everyone was called for another major announcement. The quakes had been getting more and more serious, and in the deserts in the southern hemisphere, there had even been reports of the ground cracking open from the heat below. The arid, dry ground had not been flexible enough to withstand the superheating. 

Indeed, the whole planet was warmer in temperature than it should have been. 

"More terrible news, I'm afraid." On the telescreen, King Claudus looked more tired and haggard and old than Orion had ever seen him. "The situation is getting no better, and the word has come down to me. We will evacuate." 

Gasps and murmurs from the citizens echoed around the planet. Up until now, they had been able to hold out a hope that it might just all go away, that their preparations and worries would amount to nothing and they could go back to their lives. But that was not to be so. 

"We will not all leave at once,' said Claudus. "There will be several waves of ships departing, and more leaving after that as more ships are manufactured." Claudus lowered his head. "And if there is time. The first fleet of ships will leave in exactly one month. Why are we leaving at different times? For the entire planet to leave at once would be to invite further disaster. The spaceways could not possibly hold so many ships. We will be arriving at our destination, a planet in a neighboring system called 'Loanthrac'. Loanthrac is not a populated planet, but it is mild and livable, and large enough for we Thunderians to make a new life for ourselves. It will be very difficult, my people, but we will have our knowledge and our technology available, and we will survive!" 

Orion felt a chill at these words, and found himself raising a fist grimly to the sky, while many of the people on the planet shouted their determination. 

After people had calmed, Claudus went on. "The mayors of each city will see to it that everyone gets a number for the ship you will be boarding. Please pay attention to this. To ensure that people do not, as some might, hurt anyone else to get a low number, I will tell you this: The number does not indicate who is first, it indicates the number ship that you will be assigned to. Only the ThunderCats, mayors, and highest ranking warriors in each city will know in what order these ships will be lifting off. My people, please be civilized while you accomplish this task...and do it quickly." Claudus sighed. "Gods be with you." 

Chapter 54 

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	54. Chapter 54

54 

"This...this is really...it's really bad, Orion," Jaguarin said. He looked very shaken, and Orion felt about the same way. 

"I know," he said in a low tone. 

They had little time to say anything else, because the mayor then addressed the town once more. "I would advise that everyone proceeded now, in an orderly fashion, to the warrior's guild. There you will get your number. Note! Parents with young children, they will have to be measured, because if they are small enough to fit in the capsule with a mother or a father, they will be put in with a parent. This is both to save space, and to ensure that in the unlikely event that the ship is breached and the capsules scatter, that small children will not land somewhere alone." 

The mayor held up a hand at the babble of fear that broke out. "It is a very unlikely occurrence, I repeat! And stasis capsules are made to be spaceworthy. Tests have shown in the past that they are even more so than many civilian ships. So please calm yourselves on that matter. You do, however, need to be prepared for the remote possibility of being separated from your family members. And learning some survival tactics may not be a bad idea. Now, please proceed to the warrior's guild. 

"Hold on a second, jags," Orion said, and approached the mayor, as the worried crowd dispersed. "Sir?" 

Looking distracted, the puma looked down to Orion. "What is it, son?" 

"Well, I likely know more about survival in hostile lands better than almost anyone in the village. If you like, I can try and teach some kind of class in survival. I know there are hunters in the village also, maybe they would be willing to do the same?" 

The mayor paused, and then smiled. "Son, that's an excellent idea. I'm aware of where you live, I'll contact you once things get a bit more organized." 

Orion smiled. 

At the warrior's guild, as Jaguarin, his family, and Orion got their tickets, they were all very silent. The other Thunderians weren't saying much, either, and only quiet inquiries here and there could be heard. Orion saw a family with two parents, an aunt, two older siblings and about six little ones trying to figure out how all six of the little ones would be provided for if they were to separate. There weren't enough adults that could take a child with them in their capsule. Finally, one of their neighbors stood forward and said that he would take one of them. Orion sighed in relief. 

As he got his own number and put it in his pocket, he noticed that two of the vandals that had profanes his home were there, and both were giving him the evil eye. He looked at them coolly for a moment then turned away, shaking his head. Even now, they couldn't let their stupid prejudices die. 

A week later, everyone was told in which order the ships would be leaving. It was advised that people didn't tell any but whom they trusted what ship they were on. Orion and Jaguarin were on the same ship, and it was among the first to leave the planet. 

Later that afternoon, six Thunderians met in the home of one Leodin, the man who had organized the little vandalizing project. "They're letting that miserable Plundaarian on a ship," Leodin growled. "I can't believe it." 

Another man nodded his head. "Seems to me that they need to keep the position open for the loyal Thunderians." 

Leodin snorted. "He's not Thunderian, Pumar. He's not Thunderian any more than that bastard General Rataro." 

"So what do we do about it?" one of the woman asked. 

Leodin smirked. "I saw the number on his paper. He's in one of the first ships out of here. I say we ensure that he misses his flight." His smirk turned into an unpleasant grin. 

"What...you want to kill him?" one of the men spoke up with disbelief. He was the one who had small children in his family. 

Leodin pounded a fist on the table. "Damned right. That pod could be used for real Thunderians. Would you want one of your family members to be left behind because some miserable traitor got their spot on a ship?" 

The father frowned, standing up. "Look. Vandalizing his home is one thing. Condemning him to death is another. That goes far beyond the code of our people." 

"He's not one of us!" 

"No...I will not be a part of this. If you will damn yourselves, you'll do it without me." With no more said than that, he walked out. 

Leodin snarled. "Fine, he is weak anyway. If anyone else wants to back out, back out now." He looked around, and after a moment, one of the women also left, leaving four. 

"When do we do it?" Pumar asked, once the other two had left. 

"The day before his slip leaves," Leodin said. "Well drag him deep into the woods and give him what he deserves. Then we'll leave him there for the animals. it's not like anyone will miss him." 

Pumar nodded. "All right...three weeks from now?" Leodin nodded. 

Blissfully unaware of this plotting, Orion and Jaguarin had gone back to Orion's home and talked...because the possibility was there that they might not see each other again for a long time once they left the planet. "I've got to talk to Hyder," Orion said. "I've got to tell him." Orion swallowed hard. He may never see his friend again, he realized. 

"Will they let you?" Jaguarin asked. 

"I've talked to him once since the visit. They may." Orion snorted. "Maybe I should just go to Plundaar. They're saying that there's a good chance that Plundaar will survive, and their orbit is far enough from ours that it shouldn't be too badly affected." 

"Are you kidding? You'd die." 

Orion chuckled. "I wasn't serious, Jaguarin. I'll take my changes with my people." He yawned. "I'm nervous, though. I will be teaching a class of sorts tomorrow...survival techniques. I'll be teaching six of them to whomever wants to attend, until I leave." 

"What's to be nervous about?" 

"Well...I've never taught before, jags. I'm not sure how to go about it. I mean I know how to survive, but it's hard to tell someone how." 

Jaguarin smiled and clapped his friend on the shoulder. "Relax, you'll do fine. I'll be there with ya for moral support." 

Orion laughed, "Thanks, Jaguarin. I'll need it." 

The class was awkward, but it went well enough. Orion began with the basics: food, shelter, water, and how to build a fire. Most people were bringing along at least some survival gear, such as matches, but in case they could not use those for some reason, Orion showed them how to do these things using only what they found in the woods. He urged them to write everything down, which most did. 

He taught the two-hour class in the forest itself, and was surprised that he had about fifty students from the village. He realized he had a student he hadn't expected; the father that had helped to vandalize his home. When the class ended, he seemed to want to say something to Orion, changed his mind, and turned around and left. 

"Good lesson, teach," Jaguarin said with a grin. 

"Thanks," Orion replied, still looking distractedly after the man. Then he shook his head. Well he wasn't going to refuse to teach him because of a petty thing like vandalism. He sank down onto a stump. "That was...scary." He smiled a bit.. "But it was kind of fun, too. And I think it took everyone's mind, including mind, off of things for a while." A minor landquake had interrupted the lesson, but people had quickly recovered. 

Those happened almost every day now, and people were getting used to them. Orion noticed that buildings that were damaged in the larger quakes were left that way. They did not want to spend time on reconstructing when they'd have to leave soon anyway. 

As the weeks passed, Orion had taught five classes before the vandal finally got up the courage to talk to Orion after the lesson. "Orion..." he began awkwardly. "I-I owe you an apology." He held out his hand. "What we did was stupid...not to mention violating the Code of Thundera." 

Orion hesitated for a moment, then smiled a bit, taking the man's hand and shaking it. "Okay," he accepted quietly. 

The man sighed. "I...need to warn you of something. The others...Leodin is talking about killing you. I don't know how serious he is, he was probably just blowing off steam. But...be on your guard, all right? Watch your back." 

Orion gaped at the man as he left quickly, and stared for several seconds after he'd left. 

"What's wrong?" Jaguarin asked. 

In a stunned tone of voice, Orion told Jaguarin what the man had said, and then scowled, clenching his fists. "That miserable...why? Do they hate me that much because I was kidnapped as a child and put through hell? I would love for him to go through what I did, and then come back and have some jerk treat him like a rabid jackal!" 

"My gods...do you think he's serious about it?" 

Orion sighed, feeling suddenly very tired. "I don't know Jags. I hope I don't have to find out." 

Orion had not been able to get clearance to call Plundaar. Ocedra had tried, but she said that right then there were too many thigns going on. Orion was disappointed, but he understood. There was interplanetary letter service on Thundera, but he doubted highly that it went to Plundaar, and even if it did, he doubted that anyone on Plundaar would let anyhting from Thundera pass, at least not without reading it, and that could get Hyder in trouble. 

Orion hoped that once they got to their new home that he would be able to get some sort of message off to Plundaar. 

When Orion's last class was over, there were only two days left before it was time to leave. He felt sorrowful as he gazed at the blue sky. He would be forced to leave Thundera once more, and this time he would never see it again. He hoped the planet they were going to had a blue sky. 

Another ship had been brought to his village, this one also able to hold 200 or so people. After that, only one more smaller one would be needed to get everyone out of the town, for they were one of the smalle villages on the planet. 

People had been advised not to eat anything for 24 hours before going into stasis, as it cut down the risk of bad medical reactions to the stasis gas. Falcon hadn't really understood this, of course, and Orion did not think that it would hurt to give him a bit of food and water. He himself could easily go without. 

The day before the first ships would take off, Orion came back from bathing in the stream, frowning. Falcon was growling, and Orion himself felt something prickling the back of his neck. He took one step forward. 

A rustle of leaves behind him, something that most village-dwellers would not have noticed, alerted Orion to the presence of someone or something behind him that shouldn't be. As he spun around to confront it., he caught a glimpse of a Thunderian face before something hard crashed against his skull. As he lost consciousness, he heard Falcon yelp sharply, then he collapsed on the ground. 

Chapter 55 

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	55. Chapter 55

55 

"Where is Orion?" Jaguarin fretted, pacing his living room floor. He was supposed to meet Orion tonight, as they would be going to the landing pad together the next morning, not long after dawn. He had gone over to Orion's home, but there was no one there. 

"I'm sure that he will be here, Jaguarin," his older sister said, trying to calm the agitated young man. "Please try to calm down." 

"But we leave for the landing pad before dawn... I'd feel a lot better if he were here." Jaguarin sighed. "I'm giving him an hour. Then I'm going out to look for him." 

His sister nodded. "Well until then, relax, all right? Getting all worked up is not going to do you any good." 

"Yeah, yeah," Jaguarin grumbled. His whole family was together, as they would all be on the same ship. 

---- 

As deep into the forest as possible, a group of four Thunderians dragged Orion into a clearing near a stream. They splashed the cold water onto his face until he woke, groaning, his head throbbing. His eyes were unfocused for a few seconds, and he blinked them, trying to get his vision to clear. 

Falcon! He had heard Falcon cry out before he lost consciousness! He tried to sit up, but yelped in startlement as a heavy boot kicked him in the side, sending him sprawling onto the leaves, looking shocked. He blinked upwards for the first time and was not entirely surprised to see Leodin's unattractive visage glaring down at him. "What in the hell!" Orion growled, clenching his fists and getting to his feet before they could stop him. Pumar and the woman darted forward and grabbed Orion's arms. "Hey, let go of me, you miserable-" 

His words were cut off as Leodin sank his fist into Orion's midsection. Not having expected it, Orion doubled over, the breath knocked out of him. 

Leodin grabbed Orion's mane and jerked his head backwards, and Orion had a horrible recollection of when Blackmoor and his taskmasters had finally caught up with him, right before he left Plundaar. Seemed he couldn't leave any planet without getting beat up, he thought giddily. 

"We came to a decision, traitor," Leodin said, his face twisted into a chilly grin. "We decided to give up your slot on the ship to a _real_ Thunderian." 

"What?" Orion growled, giving the man an incredulous look. "What the hell! What'd I ever do to you to make you hate me so much?" 

Leodin snarled, getting his face very close to Orion's. "You're not Thunderian anymore, you mixed breed freak," he said to him. "If you once were, living on that trash-heap of a planet has leeched it from you. You're not one of us, you even talk like a damned Mutant! And I've heard that you've even got friends over there. That makes you nothing but a traitor in my book!" He spat in Orion's face. 

Orion recoiled, snarled, and lunged from the grasp of the two Thunderians that had a hold of him. Taken by surprise, they lost their grip, and Orion tackled the man that had just spit in his face and called him a traitor. The two men fell to the ground, fighting, and after a few moments, the other three Thunderians jumped into the brawl. 

Orion was strong and tough, but he couldn't fight off three people. Not when two of them were miners, and stronger than he, and all four of them were bigger than he was. 

Pumar and the other man finally pulled Orion off of Leodin, and the foursome began beating the daylights out of their captive. 

Back in the village, Jaguarin still paced. Something was wrong, and he intended to find out. "I'll be back," he told his worried family. 

Jaguarin checked out Orion's house once more, and saw only his backpack, just as before. He'd take that to his place and leave a simply phrased note so that if Orion wondered, he would know where his things were. And then, having brought a compass so he didn't get lost in the woods, he searched. 

It was an hour and a half later that Jaguarin found Falcon, lying unconscious in the dirt. He was breathing, at least, and Jaguarin knelt by the young animal. "Oh jeez, this wasn't done by any animal." Jaguarin bit his lip,. Time was running out, and if he didn't find Orion soon, he would miss their transport, and would have to try and get on a later one. The next one leaving from this village wasn't leaving for a month, and the last was leaving three weeks after that! 

Trying not to panic, shoving thoughts of missing ships and being left behind to the back of his mind, Jaguarin scooped the little hyena off the ground and ran for his place. He picked up Orion's pack on the way back and headed into town. 

"Oh by the lords," said Kailee, Jaguarin's sister, when he brought Falcon in. "What happened? Isn't that Orion's pet?" 

"Yeah," Jaguarin said through gritted teeth. He wasn't used to trekking through forest with a heavy pack on his back and an animal in his arms. He dropped the pack to the floor and lay Falcon down on the couch. "Someone's hit him in the head, and Orion was nowhere to be found. That worries me. He could be anywhere in that forest." 

Kailee winced, stroking the animal's fur. "Should we take him to the vet? Oh wait...he won't be in his office, will he? He leaves on tomorrow's ship also." 

Jaguarin nodded. "Yeah I know...get some water, will you? I'm going to try and wake him." 

Kailee nodded and ran to get a pitcher of water. Their parents were already asleep, wanting to get some rest before they had to leave. Jaguarin sprinkled some water on Falcon's face a few times, hoping the little animal would wake. Growing frustrated, he finally filled a small glass with the cold water, and dumped it on Falcon's face. 

With a yelp of pain and surprise, Falcon woke, shaking his head, and whimpering in confusion. He fought for a moment to stand, then collapsed back down on the couch, dizzied by the blow to the head. Jaguarin felt bad, but he was growing more and more convinced that Orion was dead, or would be that way unless he found him. "easy, little one," he said softly, gently stroking the cub's fur. "Take it easy for a minute, okay?" 

Falcon's nose was sniffing the air frantically. No Orion! But someone he knew, the cat-person that was Orion's friend. Falcon whimpered again, trying once more to stand, and this time succeeding. He whimpered anxiously once more, jumping unsteadily down from the couch and turning around in a circle. 

Jaguarin bit his lip. He had an idea that Falcon could probably trace Orion, but how long would it take? Jaguarin woke his parents and told them what was going on. "I've got to go look for him," Jaguarin said. 

"But our ship leaves in..." His father checked the chronometer on the wall. "It leaves in two hours! What if you don't find him by then?" 

"Then...you need to tell them to give my spot to one of the stand-bys." There were plenty of people on standby, wanting to go out on an earlier ship. 

His whole family protested, and Jaguarin had expected this. His mother's eyes widened. "Jaguarin, no! What if you don't get a transport out?" 

Jaguarin shook his head. "I will. I will get a transport out. This is only the first wave, and they're still working overtime to get the other escape ships made. I'll be all right." He growled, holding up a hand, trying to still further complaints. "Damn it, you guy don't get it! Orion's the best friend I had in childhood, and he still is. I won't abandon him. He's had enough shit happen in his life. Now if he'd lying dead or dying somewhere, I want to do whatever I can for him! If we're not there by the time the ship is to leave, tell them to go without me, and I will get us another transport!" 

Kailee finally nodded. "Mom, dad...he's right. I mean come on, the Code of Thundera, remember that? Loyalty and all? The Code means bullcrap if you're willing to abandon it at the first sign of danger." 

This finally convinced Jaguarin's parents. "All right, son," his father said, hugging him. "Go on and find your friend. And we'll see you in a couple of months, all right?" His mother had burst into tears and thrown her arms around him. 

Jaguarin nodded, hugging them both back. "Now come on guys, let go. The sooner I go, the sooner I find him." He smiled. "I love you both." He broke from them and gave his sister a big squeeze, knowing that he likely wouldn't see them for a few months. And if things went badly, he wouldn't see them ever. "Love ya, sis. Take care of yourself, all right? Go ahead and leave mine and Orion's bags here, We'll get them when we get back." 

Looking once more at his family, Jaguarin opened the door, grabbed a flashlight from his backpack, and followed Falcon back towards the woods. 

Deep in the woods, Orion had stopped fighting. He'd take a lot of bad hits, and was not conscious enough to fight. He only hoped that someone would find Falcon. The little band of bastards had taken turns with him. Two would hold him while the other two beat him with their fists and feet, sometimes using a sturdy branch they'd found on the forest floor. Then they would take a round holding Orion so the others could have a go at hitting him. 

And now, as Orion was on the verge of losing consciousness, they dropped him to the ground, and kicked him, over and over. Orion finally blacked out, bleeding from the mouth and nose, and a dozen other places where they'd hit him. 

"Come on," Pumar finally said, checking his timepiece. "It's nearly dawn...we'd better get out of here." 

"What about..." the woman said, gesturing to the unconscious Thunderian. 

Leodin shrugged, kicking Orion once more in the midsection. Then he took the branch and hit him hard in the head, to ensure that he didn't wake up any time soon. "Leave him. There're enough predators around here. Leave him for the animals. Come on, let's go back to town before anyone discovers we're missing." 

"He leaves tomorrow. What'll happen when he doesn't show up?" Pumar asked. 

Leodin shrugged. "You heard the mayor. If people miss their ships, they have to wait until they can get on another one. But I highly doubt he'll live this long. Come on. Our own ship leaves in a month. We need to start preparing for it." 

And they left, leaving Orion lying on the leaves. 

Dawn had come and gone, and still, Jaguarin and Falcon hadn't found the missing cat. Jaguarin bit his lip, hearing, even from deep within the forest, that his ship had left. He wondered who had gotten his and Orion's spots. "Good luck, guys," he whispered to his family, hoping that he would see them again in a couple of months, tops. But no, it would be more than that. The planet they were going to was three months away, and he'd have to be in stasis so that the ships were not loaded down with supplies. 

Jaguarin was getting discouraged. It was clear that Falcon had some sort of trail, but the cub was not very good at tracking by scent, and he still staggered here and there from the head wound he'd taken. 

But somewhere around midmorning, Falcon's ears suddenly perked up, and he wildly began sniffing the ground. The cub took off running, and Jaguarin took off after him, his hope renewed. It seemed Falcon had picked something up! 

Five minutes later, Jaguarin ran from behind a tree to see Falcon whimpering, nudging an unmoving figure with his nose. He spat a curse, upon seeing that it was, indeed, Orion. He knelt by the cat, worriedly checking his pulse. He could see that Orion was breathing. Rather erratically, but at least he was breathing. Jaguarin couldn't find a pulse, but then he was no medic, and always had trouble finding it, even on himself. Damn, what should he do? He couldn't carry Orion, and he wasn't about to drag him across the rough forest floor. 

Looking around, Jaguarin decided he would try and make a travois, as Orion had taught in his survival classes. As he looked around for some branches to use, he found one that was a disturbing shade of red at the end nearby, and he realized they'd probably beaten Orion with it. He wondered briefly if the bastards the man had warned Orion about after that one class had had anything to do with this. He would mention it to the authorities. 

But for now, Jaguarin worked quickly, trying to make a working travois. A half hour later, he was dragging Orion towards the town on it. 

At the edge of town, he hesitated. What if the ones who had done this to Orion saw him? He decided to leave Orion inside his house, run into town, and get someone from the hospital to take Orion there in a hovercar. Jaguarin could ride along with them. 

Setting the travois down inside the one-room house, Jaguarin ran for town. 

Chapter 56 

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	56. Chapter 56

56 

When Orion awoke, the first thing that he noticed was that he was very sore. The next thing that he noticed was that he had no idea where he was or how he had gotten there. He did know that a bolt of pain shot through his head as someone loudly exclaimed his name and came running to where he lay. 

He winced, opening his eyes and squinting to see Jaguarin standing over him. "Oh jeez, Orion, they said you might not wake up for weeks!" 

Orion nearly cringed as Jaguarin exclaimed this. "Jags..." he said, his voice hoarse. "Please...don't yell." 

Jaguarin's eyes widened, and he clapped a hand over his mouth. "Jeez, I'm sorry," he said, this time almost in a whisper. "Man, when I found you, I thought you were dead at first, what happened? Wait, hold on, lemme get a doctor in here or something, wait here." 

As if I could go anywhere else, Orion thought, amused despite himself. He closed his eyes again. 

He vaguely heard Jaguarin coming back with a medic, and felt her checking his pulse, and listening to his breathing. He opened his unfocused eyes to watch her check the IV he now realized was in his arm, and to adjust the sheet covering him from the neck down. "Let him rest," she said to Jaguarin, smiling. "Now that he's awake, he should be all right. The concussion has subsided...that was the only thing we were very worried about. Because we couldn't wake him up." 

"But...now that he's awake, he'll be okay?" Orion heard the worry in Jaguarin's voice, and had to smile. He was lucky to have him for a friend he thought. Him and Hyder. Listening to the medic reassuring Jaguarin of Orion's stability, he passed out once more. 

When he awoke again, Jaguarin wasn't there. Must be home, he thought. But at least he felt a good deal more coherent, and he wasn't in as much pain. He had patches of fur that had been shaved on his arms, one on his neck, and one on his chest beneath the bandages that were wrapped around his torso. Some kind of sensors were stuck to the skin in those places. Well this is interesting, he thought. He held up his arm, which had the IV bandaged to it, and looked at it with distaste. He disliked things around his wrists. 

A brace was snugged tight around his other arm, and a few places on his body had stitches, closing up particularly bad cuts. He narrowed his eyes as his muddled mind was now clear enough for him to remember what happened. 

A medic came in his room then and smiled at him. It was a man, this time, and looked like he might be a mixed breed, like Orion. "I'm glad to see you sitting up," he told Orion. "I'm gonna check your vitals again, all right?" 

Orion nodded, yawned, and tolerated the man checking his breathing and his pulse, and the like. "Am I alive?" he joked weakly. 

The medic chuckled. "It may not feel like it, but yeah, you're gonna live," he said to the young Thunderian. "What happened? Your friend told us about threat that you received a few days ago, they've taken in the six Thunderians that vandalized your home a while back into custody again, for your safety." He paused. "Are they the ones that did this?" 

Orion sighed, and nodded. But wait...the medic had said all six had been taken in? "Wait," he said. "Not all of them, it was only four. The one with the little kids, the father, he wasn't there. He was the one that warned me about these guys to begin with. And the tiger woman, she wasn't there, either. It was the other four. That...leopard bastard, and the others." 

The medic nodded. "Hold on a second. Do you feel up to talking to a warrior?" Orion nodded.   
Okay, good." He gave Orion a grim look. "With all this crap going on with the exodus, they very likely won't bother with a trial. They'll hook you to a lie detector, and if you pass it, they'll throw the bastards in jail." 

Orion nodded; he knew what that meant. It had seemed a cruel thing, but Orion fully understood the reasoning behind it. Those in the jails would be evacuated off of the planet last, and those with crimes that didn't harm other Thunderians would be going first, when they did go. There was a good chance that many of the inmates would not make it off the planet. 

When the warriors arrived, he was glad that Ocedra was one of them. "Hey, kid," she said to Orion, smiling at him. "You've had a rough time of it." She shook her head. "You okay being hooked up to a lie detector?" 

With a shrug, Orion told her he was fine with it. "Might as well," he said, indicating all the other sensors on him. "I already look like a lab rat." 

Ocedra laughed quietly, and went about hooking the complicated looking machine to him. 

Orion told the warriors everything that had happened in the attack, and his eyes suddenly widened. Falcon! How could he have forgotten him? "Where's Falcon?" he said suddenly. "They just left him I think...he's not dead, is he?" 

Ocedra shook her head and smiled. "Falcon is fine. The medics actually looked him over when they brought you here. He had a concussion also, but he's fine now. Your friend Jaguarin has been looking after him." 

Orion gave a sigh of relief and leaned back against the bed. "Oh good," he said. Once he was sure Falcon was okay, he continued telling his story. Not once did the lie detector go off. "How long have I been out?" he asked as they were removing the wires from him. 

"Well, it was five days ago that Jaguarin found you." 

Orion's eyes widened. He'd never been out that long before! Had he? Then his face paled as he realized something. "Oh man. I've missed the ship...wait a minute. Jaguarin's looking after Falcon? That means he missed the transport too!" 

"Easy, Orion," Ocedra said gently, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Yes you both missed the transport, but it's all right. You won't be left behind. We've already got you on one of the later transports. There is one leaving from this town in a little over a month and a half." She smiled. "It's actually the one that half the warriors are on, because many are staying behind as long as possible to help the people." 

"Oh...oh good." Orion closed his eyes and slumped back into the bed. "So what's gonna happen?" 

"Well...Jasdra and Hegreth, the two people you said did not attack you, will be released from prison with full apology. The others will stay there until they leave Thundera. If they make it that far." She looked at Orion, who seemed to accept this. "After they tried to keep you behind to die, they're lucky that the law prevents killing them outright." She shook her head. "I can't believe what scum we have, right here on Thundera. I mean...sometimes I wonder how we can condemn the people of Plundaar when we have so many here that are the same way." 

Orion nodded tiredly. "I know what you mean." 

He was released from the hospital a few days later, taking home a bottle of painkillers, some extra bandages, and instructions on how to use them. Orion thanked the medic and went outside, where Jaguarin was waiting for him. Orion was gong to stay with his friend for a few days while he recovered, and then go back to his home in the woods until the last transport left. 

As a month went by, Orion watched Thundera begin ripping itself apart. Claudus had addressed the people that remained one last time, a week before Orion's transport would leave. "My people," he said. The man was weeping, which seemed odd for a man who was blind. But then damaged eyes didn't necessarily mean damaged tear ducts. "For those of you till left on the planet, I am keeping you in my prayers and in my thoughts. Our beautiful planet will son be no more, and even now it is not Thundera anymore. And so here are my final words to you. I am honored to have served you as king, and I hope that your new life will be prosperous and happy." 

A chill went down Orion's spine as he listened to that. "Wh-what does he mean, 'my final words'?" he asked Jaguarin. 

The jaguar winced. "Oh, that's right...you were out when the announcement was made. Claudus is staying behind on Thundera." 

Orion's eyes popped open. "He's what?" he exclaimed. "Why? No, he can't do that, he'll die!" 

Jaguarin sighed. "You have any idea how many people have said that to him? He is pretty old, Orion. And he wants as many people as possible to get off of Thundera. His son, Lion-O, and the other ThunderCats will be leaving about the same time we will, and that's all he wants, is for his son and his people to make it out." 

Orion bit his lip, feeling the sting of tears. He had never met a man as great as Claudus. Sighing, he turned away. 

The next day, Ocedra came to Orion's home to see how he was doing. There were quakes every day now, and places all over Thundera were splitting open to reveal fiery cracks in the ground. Swift was still fairly intact, but that could change at any minute. 

"Came by to see how you were doing," Ocedra said to Orion, who had come out to greet her. He was a little paranoid about visitors after what had happened, which was understandable, even if the perpetrators were locked up. They were not the only ones who disliked Orion. 

"Not bad, considering," Orion said, looking unhappily around. A large tree lay by his home, having toppled in the night and scared the daylights out of both Orion and Falcon. They were lucky it hadn't crushed the little building. The air had taken on a permanent red haze, from the sulfur and the steam from geothermal eruptions, and the like. Volcanoes that had run dormant for years suddenly erupted to life, and even as they planned evacuation from the planet itself, people had to be evacuated to other cities to avoid being buried in molten lava. Claudus was right. It wasn't Thundera anymore. 

Ocedra nodded. "Understood. Well anyway, I wanted to tell you that Claudus gave us clearance to get you a communicator link to Plundaar, if you wanted to talk to your friend." 

Orion's eyes widened. "Really?" 

Ocedra smiled. "Yes. The Plundaarians already know what's going on, there's really no way that even a breech of security could harm us." 

Orion smiled. "When?" 

"Today if you like..." 

An hour later, Orion was again looking at Hyder's face on a telescreen. The connection was worse than ever, but then communications weren't exactly at their best right now. "Oh man, Orion, I've been worrying about you!" Jaguarin was with Orion this time, wanting to at least say hello to the Mutant Orion had talked about so often. 

"Yeah, me too," Orion said. "You've heard, I take it." 

Hyder nodded. "Yeah...everyone here knows what's happening with Thundera. A lot of people are talking about evacuating, at least for a while...just in case." Hyder sighed, closing his eyes. "I am so sorry, Orion. To get home, only to have to leave it again so soon." 

Orion shrugged a little. "It could be worse, Hyder. I could still be with Blackmoor." 

Hyder smiled a little. "Yes, I suppose so. Who is that with you?" 

Orion introduced Ocedra and Jaguarin, and Hyder grinned. "I've heard a bit about you," he said to Jaguarin, who raised a brow and looked at Orion. Orion smiled innocently back. 

"Oh lovely," said Jaguarin, but then he laughed. "Good or bad?" 

"Good, mostly," said Hyder with a chuckle. 

"That's good...' said Jaguarin, then laughed a bit. "This is the first time I've ever talked to a Mutant before." 

Orion smacked his forehead, but Hyder only laughed. "I'm honored to be the first." 

"Well...I kinda wanted to thank you for looking after Orion, too. He told me a lot about you." Jaguarin's face was turning red. "I'd wanted to meet the guy that showed so much courage and honor and stuff." 

Hyder smiled, moved by the jaguar's words. "Thanks," he said, and smiled. "It was my pleasure." Jaguarin nodded, his face now curiously matching his flaming red mane. "Anyway, Orion...I probably won't see you for a good long time." 

Orion sighed. "If ever." 

Hyder nodded. "Yes. If ever. How long do we have to talk?" 

Orion looked to Ocedra for the answer to that. "Not long," she said apologetically. "A half hour more, tops. We need the airways open." 

"That's okay," Hyder said, smiling a bit at Orion. "Hey we can say good-bye in a half hour." They talked, and Orion told Hyder what had happened in the past month or so. 

"I'm almost glad those bastards attacked me," he said to Hyder. "I wouldn't have been able to talk to you otherwise." 

Hyder smiled a bit. "Me too then," he said. "I'm not gonna be leaving Plundaar, they're pretty sure that it shouldn't be affected too badly. I'll still be here working away at the government." He chuckled. "And Orion, when you get to your new home, just maybe I can look you up there, eh? I mean it's not like you're all going light years away or anything." 

"Well damn, I hope not," Orion said. "It's a three month trip, from what I can tell. We're going in stasis." 

Hyder winced. "Stasis...I have heard a lot of bad things about stasis. I mean not that anyone's died from it, but just that it's not real pleasant." 

Orion nodded a bit shakily. "And the pods are really small." 

"Oh shit, that's right...well I hear the gasses work fast, if nothing else. You won't have to put up with it for long." 

Ocedra put a hand on Orion's shoulder. "I've got to shut it down real soon," she said to him. 

Orion sighed. "All right. Well Hyder...take care, okay? And if I don't ever see you again, I won't forget you, hekti." 

Hyder nodded solemnly, and Orion could see, even though the poor connection, and he was weeping. "You too, Orion. Hopefully I'll see you again in a couple years or so. Until then keep yourself safe." Orion nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "Good-bye, Orion." 

Orion waved as the transmission fizzled out, and Orion closed his eyes. Jaguarin put an arm around him, and led him outside. 

Finally, the day arrived. They did not think that they would be able to get many more transports out, as Thundera was on the verge of blowing. They had managed to get a good amount of people off, more than at first had been expected, but it was still not enough. Jaguarin and Orion stood in line, waited to board the transport. Orion was shaking with anxiety, holding Falcon close to him. His backpack was on his back, and he wasn't saying much. 

Once inside, Orion eyed the stasis pods that stood in rows along the walls and in the middle of the aisle. They were very small. He had asked the warriors how fast the gas was, and they said no longer than a minute. He had also asked how one pod could sustain two life forces, and they'd assured him that there was enough stasis gas in any given pod to take care of four people if need be. Although that had eased his mind a bit, he was still terrified. 

Gulping hard, he forced himself to step into his stasis capsule when it was his turn. "W-well..." he said to Jaguarin. "I guess I'll see you in a few months..." 

Jaguarin nodded and embraced his friend briefly, before the stasis capsule's lid was closed, and Orion was shut inside. 

He bit back a whimper of terror and clenched his fists hard to keep from fighting to get out. Falcon curled up at the bottom of the pod, whimpering with fear, as the gas flooded the pod. As the warrior said, it was swift. 

Maybe it was better this way, Orion thought. He had made it back home, but he had been almost as much of an outcast in some respects as he had been on Plundaar. Maybe the Thunderian people needed to start over. 

As the once beautiful planet seethed and erupted in its orbit, Orion's ship took off. He was deeply in stasis by that time, not knowing that just minutes after they left orbit, the planet would self-destruct, leaving many people behind to die. He could not possibly know that many ships would take damage from the explosion, and that he had been lucky to get a ship with strong shields. He didn't know that in just an hours' time, the combine armies of Mutants would attack the fleet, killing many of the people that had managed to get off the planet, and tearing his own ship apart. He did not know that the pods from his ship would be scattered into space, to land where they would... 

All he knew was that once again, he would be starting over. 

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